Science and Being a Mom

Environmental & Science Eduction
Edward Hessler

Picture from Amazon.com

More than 30 years ago science educator Rodger Bybee wrote two stimulating papers on what he thought was coming: an ecological society. One was on science education and the emerging ecological society; the other on aims and goals of science education policies for an ecological society (Science Education 63(2), 1979).  Neither paper gained much traction.  And I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only one who remembers them!

Bybee noted that this transformation would require science educators to incorporate human issues into their teaching in a deeper way than we were used to doing.  This was because of what we face. Problems of lifetime, lifespace and lifestyle.  We still face (or look away from) them.

I thought about those two papers--I still find them compelling--when I heard about a new book on motherhood. Alice Callahan has been blogging about the science of motherhood at Science of Mom: The Heart and Science of Parenting for several years.  I love the phrase in the subtitle "heart and science." Being a mom (and a dad) require passion and reason.

Callahan holds a Ph.D. in nutritional biology and also held a post-doctoral fellowship in fetal physiology.  She left scientific research to be a mom, write, blog and teach college.  The book is published by Johns Hopkins University Press.  The book is about hype and evidence.

NPR's Rachel Martin interviewed Dr. Callahan and you can listen to it/read it here.