September 4th, 2014
Science Education & Civic Engagement: An International Journal Call for Manuscripts Submissions for a special issue on civic engagement and informal science education (ISE) to be published in the summer of 2015.
About the Special Issue
The editors of Science Education & Civic Engagement: An International Journal invite manuscript submissions for a special tribute issue of the journal that will focus on informal science education and also serve to highlight the life and work of Alan J. Friedman, Ph.D., who died on May 4, 2014 after a short illness. Alan’s career as a scientist, educator, museum leader, and mentor to students, educators and museum professionals in the United States and abroad exemplifies how a scientist can contribute to the general public’s understanding of the importance of science and its role in our lives. He was committed to encouraging people of all ages, but particularly high school and college students, to engage in scientific inquiry, not only as a career possibility but as a critical dimension of responsible citizenship. Alan’s work with the National Center for Science & Civic Engagement (NCSCE) centered on the development and implementation of SENCER-ISE, which supports the development of cross-sector partnerships. SENCER-ISE is currently funded by the National Science Foundation (DRL-1237463) and the Noyce Foundation.
Possible topics for the special issue are listed below, but the editors welcome submissions on other topics. Please consider submitting manuscripts that:
- deepen our understanding of the field in general and address what informal or out-of-classroom and self-directed learning encompasses, including current trends in the field, how professionals in the field see their roles evolving, and the challenges of engaging the public in contemporary and contested civic questions,
- describe cross-sector initiatives both in the United States and abroad and their impact on students and the general public,
- examine the intersection of the sciences with the arts and humanities in programs and curricula, and
- analyze the contributions of informal science education activities/initiatives to general educational reform efforts, including research on the assessment of these activities.
For this issue, we also request anecdotal materials for a special section about Alan’s various contributions to all levels and types of educational institutions in the United States and in other countries.
About the Journal
Science Education and Civic Engagement: An International Journal is an online, peer-reviewed journal. It publishes articles that examine how to use important civic issues as a context to engage students, stimulate their interest, and promote their success in mathematics, engineering and science. By exploring civic questions, we empower students to become “civic scientists” who contribute to their communities at the local, national, and global level. The journal publishes the following types of articles: review, research, project report, point of view, teaching and learning, science education and public policy, and book and media reports.
Submission deadline: February 16, 2015. Please send all inquiries and manuscript submissions to the journal’s managing editor: Marcy Dubroff (mdubroff@fandm.edu).
The Science Education & Civic Engagement: An International Journal is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DUE-1224488). This publication is not formally reviewed by the NSF. Opinions, findings, conclusions and/or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or the Noyce Foundation.