The Power & Promise of Early Research

Making American Science Education Buzz Again

• Download: ACSEarlyResearchBook.pdf

The late great American hero John Glenn once said, "The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds." Imagine if our 21 million American high school students were inspired and immersed in at least one year of original, hands-on research. Imagine the potential impact of even 0.1% to 1% of these students continuing to do more research in all four years of college.

This is the clear and simple yet powerful vision that the editors and authors of The Power and Promise of Early Research offer as a fundamental and system-wide game-changer for American science education. It is a passionate advocacy for proactively engaging students in authentic research earlier than is traditionally done. They spotlight the pedagogical, professional and practical benefits of not waiting until graduate school when students have successfully run the conventional gauntlet of required courses before they are fully immersed in doing authentic research. Rather, their collective vision for this foundational shift in when students should be allowed to start conducting research is succinctly captured in three words: early, often, and universal.

This 13-chapter peer-reviewed book is the brainchild of Lead Editor, Dr. Desmond H. Murray of Andrews University, who for almost 20 years and with almost 1,000 students, has designed, implemented and promoted early research in both high school and college courses, as well as during the summer. His co-editors, Dr. Sherine Obare, Associate Vice-President for Research at Western Michigan University and Dr. James Hageman, Special Assistant to the President at Central Michigan University, have also been in the trenches engaging a diversity of students in early research.

<<< Read the full story in the attached press release from Building Excellence in Science & Technology >>>