Science professors earn props

Chico State assistant professors Leslie Atkins and Irene Salter were recognized in a national competition recently for their innovative “Scientific Inquiry” course, a Department of Science Education course designed to show future elementary school teachers through experimentation how scientific theories came about, according to a university press release.

On April 1, Atkins and Salter attended an awards ceremony at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for placing in the top 12 of the STEMposium, a collaboration of 60-second videos created by educators that showcase how they are using creative teaching methods to change the face of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The pair entered a video that included several audio clips of students talking about how the course gave them a well-rounded view of science, as opposed to just teaching them scientific theories and terminology.

“Our course is different because the emphasis is on doing science, not just learning about science,” Salter offered in a recent e-mail.

To view the teachers’ video, visit http://tinyurl.com/STEMposiumChico.