Brown Degree Days: Science and Society, Life After Brown

Brown Degree Days:
Science and Society, Life After Brown

Wed. April 7, 5:00pm
Third World Center, 68 Brown St., 1st floor lounge

Refreshments will be served.

Deborah Weinstein:
Visiting lecturer in Gender and Sexuality Studies
Professor Weinstein is an historian of Science who now teaches two courses of interest to STS students.
Her own work is on the history of the human sciences.

Elizabeth Schibuk:
“After writing my Science and Society thesis on undergraduate science education reform, I decided to give science education a try. Since graduating in May 2008, I've been teaching chemistry, physics, and sustainable design at a small charter high school in Pawtucket RI. My background in Science and Society has informed my teaching practice as I've worked to develop interdisciplinary units in my classroom. Earlier this year my chemistry students spent five weeks investigating the science and the politics of nuclear warfare and nuclear energy. My students got the chance to video conference with an active nuclear submariner as well as with a former Naval nuclear reactor operator before writing position papers on a nuclear-chemistry related "issue" of their choice. In a different vein, my physics class recently began studying the history of astronomy, and has been studying the historical interface between science and religion as they prepare to perform a mock trial of Galileo. Though these projects certainly deviate from any standard high school curriculum, I find student engagement increases when students can study science in the context of some social or historical "problem." I very much enjoy teaching science and recognize the ways that my Brown education inspired me and prepared me for this career.”