National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
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Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology

Committee on Undergraduate Science Education

Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, DC
1999

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
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NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

The National Research Council (NRC) is the operating arm of the National Academies Complex, which includes the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized in 1916 by the National Academy of Sciences to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and providing impartial advice to the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts, President of the National Academy of Sciences, and Dr. William Wulf, President of the National Academy of Engineering, also serve as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

The Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education (CSMEE) was established in 1995 to provide coordination of all the National Research Council's education activities and reform efforts for students at all levels, specifically those in kindergarten through twelfth grade, undergraduate institutions, school-to-work programs, and continuing education. The Center reports directly to the Governing Board of the National Research Council.

This study by CSMEE's Committee on Undergraduate Science Education (CUSE) was conducted under a grant from the Exxon Education Foundation to the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council. Any opinions, findings, or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the members of the committee and the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Exxon Education Foundation.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Transforming undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology / Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, National Research Council.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 0-309-06294-2 (perfectbound)

1. Science—Study and teaching (Higher)—United States. 2. Mathematics—Study and teaching (Higher)—United States. 3. Technology—Study and teaching (Higher)—United States. I. Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education. Committee on Undergraduate Science Education.

Q183.3.A1 T73 1999

507.1'173—dc21

99-6151

Additional copies of this report are available from the
National Academy Press,
2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Lock Box 285, Washington, DC 20055. (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area) This report is also available online at <http://www.nap.edu>

Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright 1999 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Cover photos reproduced by permission:

© Richard S. Mandelkorn

© Department of Biology, Colby College

© Jeffrey D. Marx

© Arne Kuhlman, '97, Washington and Lee University

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
×

COMMITTEE ON UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE EDUCATION

Current members

MARYE ANNE FOX

(NAS*), University of Texas at Austin,

Chair

MARY P. COLVARD,

Cobleskill-Richmondville High School

ARTHUR B. ELLIS,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

DOROTHY GABEL,

Indiana University

JAMES M. GENTILE,

Hope College

RONALD J. HENRY,

Georgia State University

HARVEY B. KEYNES,

University of Minnesota

PAUL J. KUERBIS,

The Colorado College

R. HEATHER MACDONALD,

College of William and Mary

GRACE MCWHORTER,

Lawson State Community College

EDWARD E. PENHOET,

Chiron Corporation

JAMES W. SERUM,

Hewlett-Packard Company

ELAINE SEYMOUR,

University of Colorado, Boulder

CHRISTY VOGEL,

Cabrillo College

DAVID WILKINSON

(NAS*), Princeton University

Former members**

C. BRADLEY MOORE

(NAS*), University of California, Berkeley,

Past Chair

ISAAC ABELLA,

University of Chicago

NEAL ABRAHAM,

De Pauw University

GEORGE R. BOGGS,

Palomar College

DENICE D. DENTON,

University of Washington

MICHAEL P. DOYLE,

Research Corporation

RAMESH GANGOLLI,

University of Washington

FREDERICK T. GRAYBEAL,

ASARCO Incorporated

NORMAN HACKERMAN

(NAS*), The Robert A. Welch Foundation

JOHN K. HAYNES,

Morehouse College

EILEEN DELGADO JOHANN,

Miami-Dade Community College

WILLIAM E. KIRWAN,

Ohio State University

SHARON LONG

(NAS*), Stanford University

DOROTHY MERRITTS,

Franklin and Marshall College

JOHN A. MOORE

(NAS*), University of California at Riverside

PENNY MOORE,

Piedmont High School

W. ANN REYNOLDS,

University of Alabama at Birmingham

*  

NAS: Member of the National Academy of Sciences

**  

These former members of CUSE participated in the development of this report and have approved its contents.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
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REVIEWERS

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's (NRC's) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:

THEODORE BELYTSCHKO (NAE*), Northwestern University

JOHN BOLLINGER (NAE*), University of Wisconsin, Madison

BONNIE BRUNKHORST, California State University, San Bernadino

WILLIAM DANFORTH (IOM*), Washington University

JAMES DUDERSTADT (NAE*), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

JOAN GIRGUS, Princeton University

DAVID KAUFFMAN, University of New Mexico

JERRY MOHRIG, Carleton College

NORMAN NESS (NAS*), University of Delaware

RONALD RUSAY, Diablo Valley College

BRUCE SHERWOOD, Carnegie Mellon University

BROCK SPENCER, Beloit College

JAMES STITH, American Institute of Physics

SAMUEL WARD, University of Arizona

While the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authoring committee and the National Research Council.

*  

NAS: Member of the National Academy of Sciences; NAE: Member of the National Academy of Engineering; IOM: Member of the Institute of Medicine

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
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STAFF

JAY B. LABOV, Study Director

Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education

NANCY L. DEVINO, Senior Staff Officer

Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education

KATHLEEN (KIT) JOHNSTON, Senior Editor

Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education

GAIL E. PRITCHARD, Research Associate

Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education

TERRY K. HOLMER, Senior Project Assistant

Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6453.
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Today's undergraduate students—future leaders, policymakers, teachers, and citizens, as well as scientists and engineers—will need to make important decisions based on their understanding of scientific and technological concepts. However, many undergraduates in the United States do not study science, mathematics, engineering, or technology (SME&T) for more than one year, if at all. Additionally, many of the SME&T courses that students take are focused on one discipline and often do not give students an understanding about how disciplines are interconnected or relevant to students' lives and society.

To address these issues, the National Research Council convened a series of symposia and forums of representatives from SME&T educational and industrial communities. Those discussions contributed to this book, which provides six vision statements and recommendations for how to improve SME&T education for all undergraduates.

The book addresses pre-college preparation for students in SME&T and the joint roles and responsibilities of faculty and administrators in arts and sciences and in schools of education to better educate teachers of K-12 mathematics, science, and technology. It suggests how colleges can improve and evaluate lower-division undergraduate courses for all students, strengthen institutional infrastructures to encourage quality teaching, and better prepare graduate students who will become future SME&T faculty.

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