Bridging the Gap Between Scientists and the Public

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Evidence-based decision making has been on the decline, particularly in the United States (Alberts 2017). In addition, trust in the scientific enterprise has become more divided, frequently along partisan lines (YouGov poll 2017). To bridge this gap and improve scientific literacy, Science in the Classroom (SitC), an initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), makes scientific research accessible to high school, community college, undergraduate students, and the public through a collection of annotated research papers primarily from AAAS’s Science family of journals. The annotations and accompanying educational resources provide layers of key information and explanations that make reading active, enabling students to engage with their text, ideas, and peers in a deeper, more meaningful way. The annotations, which the reader turns on and off, include vocabulary, methods, descriptions of prior research, and explanations of major conclusions. In the widely used paper, Arrested development: When cells make mistakes, which looks at the body’s response after DNA damage occurs, digital media and figures provide even further context to the research (see screenshots below).

Keywords:

• Professional Learning
• Science and Engineering Practices
• STEM
• Teaching Strategies
• High School
• Postsecondary
• Pre-service Teachers
• General Science
• Instructional Materials

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Suzanne Thurston

Suzanne Thurston ([email protected]) is a Program Director within the Inclusive STEM Ecosystems for Equity and Diversity (ISEED) unit at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC.