Student Scientific Research within Communities-of-Practice (Abstract)
Volume 45 number 2 (2017)
- Russell Genet
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
- James Armstrong
- University of Hawaii, Maui, HI
- Philip Blanko
- Grossmont College, San Diego, CA
- Grady Boyce, Pat Boyce
- Boyce Research Initiatives and Education Foundation, San Diego, CA
- Mark Brewer
- California State University, San Bernardino, CA
- Robert Buchheim
- Society for Astronomical Sciences, Ontario, CA
- Jae Calanog
- Miramar College, San Diego, CA
- Diana Castaneda
- University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
- Rebecca Chamberlin
- The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
- R. Kent Clark
- University of Southern Alabama, Mobile, AL
- Dwight Collins
- Collins Educational Foundation, San Rafael, CA
- Dennis Conti
- American Association of Variable Star Observers, Annapolis, MD
- Sebastien Cormier
- Grossmont College, San Diego, CA
- Michael FItzgerald
- Edith Cowen University, Perth, Australia
- Chris Estrada
- California State University, Los Angeles, CA
- Reed Estrada
- Northrop Aviation, Lancaster, CA
- Rachel Freed
- California State University, Sonoma, CA
- Edward Gomez
- Los Cumbres Observatory, Santa Barbara, CA
- Paul Hardersen
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ
- Richard Harshaw
- Brilliant Sky Observatory, Cave Creek, AZ
- Jolyon Johnson
- Sammamish High School, Belleview, WA
- Stella Kafka
- American Association of Variable Star Observers, Cambridge, MA
- John Kenney
- Concordia University, Irvine, CA
- Kakkala Monanan
- Leeward Community College, Pearl City, Oahu, HI
- John Ridgely
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
- David Rowe
- PlaneWave Instruments, Rancho Dominguez, CA
- Mark Silliman
- Waipaha High School, Waipaha, Oahu, HI
- Irena Stojimirovic
- Mesa College, San Diego, CA
- Kalee Tock
- Stanford Online High School, Palo Alto, CA
- Douglas Walker
- Estrella Mountain Community College, Avondale, AZ
Abstract
(Abstract only) Social learning theory suggests that students who wish to become scientists will benefit by being active researchers early in their educational careers. As coauthors of published research, they identify themselves as scientists. This provides them with the inspiration, motivation, and staying power that many will need to complete the long educational process. This hypothesis was put to the test over the past decade by a one-semester astronomy research seminar where teams of students managed their own research. Well over a hundred published papers coauthored by high school and undergraduate students at a handful of schools substantiated this hypothesis. However, one could argue that this was a special case. Astronomy, after all, is supported by a large professional-amateur community-of-practice. Furthermore, the specific area of research—double star astrometry—was chosen because the observations could be quickly made, the data reduction and analysis was straight forward, and publication of the research was welcomed by the Journal of Double Star Observations. A recently initiated seminar development and expansion program—supported in part by the National Science Foundation—is testing a more general hypothesis that: (1) the seminar can be successfully adopted by many other schools; (2) research within astronomy can be extended from double star astrometry to time series photometry of variable stars, exoplanet transits, and asteroids; and (3) the seminar model can be extended to a science beyond astronomy: environmental science—specifically atmospheric science. If the more general hypothesis is also supported, seminars that similarly feature published high school and undergraduate student team research could have the potential to significantly improve science education by increasing the percentage of students who complete the education required to become professional scientists.