What should science look like in our schools? University of Iowa Professor Brian Hand will discuss the problem and potential solutions Thursday, May 17, at 7 p.m. in the UI Museum of Natural History's Biosphere Discovery Hub. The event is free and open to the public.

The presentation concludes the Museum's Spring 2012 Explorers Seminar Series.

Hand's talk, "Science: What should it look like in school? Can we make this happen," will discuss the decreasing participation in the sciences from students coming out of high school and whether this problem is isolated to the United States. He will also explore how science is represented in schools compared with how it is conducted in the laboratory.

He will introduce "the Science Writing Heuristic," a new approach to learning science, and will describe the benefits this approach offers to students as young as 5 to undergraduate chemistry students.

Hand is a professor of science education in the UI College of Education. A former high school teacher, he has a strong interest in improving opportunities for student learning with all science classrooms. In particular, Hand has focused his research on using writing as a learning tool.

For more information on the Explorers Seminar or special accommodations to attend this event, contact the UI Museum of Natural History at 319-335-0606 or visit the Museum website.