Author Archives: alan

If you read Pearls Before Swine with any regularity, you know that Rat doles out punishment of all types to every character he encounters. He even writes books for children that are so mean-spirited, the little ones are certain to… Continue reading →

"Do not fear failure. Whatever happened in the past is past; do not worry about it happening again. Before you meet with success, failure is natural and necessary. As a baby learns to walk, it keeps falling down. Is this… Continue reading →

"To understand the necessity of change, we must consider not only our short-term personal advantage but also the long-range impact our choices have on others we will never know or see: on people living in remote lands, on generations as… Continue reading →

Students are attracted to science for many reasons: the thrill of discovery, the satisfaction that comes from making a unique contribution, the possibility of good, steady employment. The search for truth offers another potent draw. Students are repeatedly taught that… Continue reading →

Ainsworth et al. have asked the question, "Should science learners be challenged to draw more?" (Science, Education Forum, 26 Aug 2011, p. 1096). They point out that scientists "imagine new relations, test ideas, and elaborate knowledge through visual representations." Despite… Continue reading →

Some lectures are spoken. Some are read. I suppose there's something to be said for both. Here's an observation on lecturing from Sir Lawrence Bragg (quoted in Science, 5 July 1996, p. 76):"I feel so strongly about the wrongness of… Continue reading →

My year-long sabbatical kicked off today and it feels great.* The sun is shining, I've got a long list of things to do, and I can devote my attention to them for almost an entire year before I have to… Continue reading →

The US women's soccer team appear to have Hollywood on the brain. Their World Cup victories over Brazil (quarterfinals) and France (today's semifinals) have followed almost identical Die Hard scripts. Each time they got a one goal lead early, they… Continue reading →

A guest editorial in Science magazine (Jun 24, 2011) makes the telling point that "Education is Not a Race." The author, Deborah Stipek, is in a position to know. She's the current dean of Stanford University's School of Education and… Continue reading →

"She is from New York. She is Jewish. She is a woman." These were the reasons (see Newsmakers, Science, 10 June, 2011) offered by a top US university for denying Rosalyn Yalow (1921-2011) a place in their graduate program some… Continue reading →