Nobel Prize winner Carl Wieman to talk about science education March 22

The renowned educator will discuss his scientific approach to STEM education

Having won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001, Carl Wieman subsequently turned his attention to an equally important pursuit: educating future generations of scientists. Rice’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is hosting Wieman March 22 for a lecture titled “Taking a Scientific Approach to Science and Engineering Education,” scheduled for 4 p.m. in Duncan Hall’s McMurtry Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Carl Wieman is renowned for his pioneering work in education, winning the Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year award in 2004 and publishing his first book, “Improving How Universities Teach Science,” last May.

Currently a professor of physics and a faculty member in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, Wieman was working at the University of Colorado at Boulder when he and his research partners, Eric Cornell and Wolfgang Ketterle, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for achieving a new fundamental state of matter: Bose-Einstein condensate.

In the years since, Wieman has become similarly renowned for his pioneering work in education, winning the Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year award in 2004 and publishing his first book, “Improving How Universities Teach Science,” last May.

Wieman’s book chronicles his efforts to reform science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education through his science education initiatives at the University of Colorado and the University of British Columbia. At the Canadian university, the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) undertook a multiyear project aimed at dramatically improving undergraduate science education through a four-step, scientific approach to teaching.

“I’m most excited to hear Professor Wieman talk about the results of his Science Initiative and any ways we can apply lessons learned from his efforts to the work we do at Rice,” said Joshua Eyler, director of the CTE.

In addition to his work as an educator and physicist, Wieman also spent two years in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he made attempts to reshape the $3-billion-a-year federal investment in STEM education. Organizers of the talk expect him to touch upon this and other endeavors during the upcoming lecture while keeping his focus on the classroom insights he’s gained during his decades of education work.

“Teaching is ultimately about enhancing learning,” Eyler said, “so any new information about evidence-based teaching strategies and programs can only help us as we seek to maximize our students’ learning.”

For more information about Wieman’s lecture, visit cte.rice.edu.