Making Scientists

Light and Micari provide a major contribution to the literature on deep versus surface learning, particularly in STEM education. Their study of the Gateway Science Workshop Program at Northwestern helps us understand the power of engaging students in doing science, even on the introductory level, and offers an innovative way to do it. Based on more than a decade of research on a creative program, the book shatters much of the conventional wisdom about how best to educate students in STEM courses. -- Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Students Do Many university leaders talk about helping a diverse group of students succeed in science-this project actually does it. Most scholars agree it is critical to evaluate teaching innovations-this project does it with rigor. Most university leaders try to make successful innovations part of campus life-this book describes how Northwestern succeeds. Other campuses can learn much from the practical and inspiring lessons in this important book. -- Richard Light, author of Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds

Gregory Light and Marina Micari reject the view that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are elite disciplines restricted to a small number with innate talent. Rich in concrete advice, Making Scientists offers a new paradigm of how scientific subjects can be taught at the college level.

For many college students, studying the hard sciences seems out of the question. Students and professors alike collude in the prejudice that physics and molecular biology, mathematics and engineering are elite disciplines restricted to a small number with innate talent. Gregory Light and Marina Micari reject this bias, arguing, based on their own transformative experiences, that environment is just as critical to academic success in the sciences as individual ability. Making Scientists lays the groundwork for a new paradigm of how scientific subjects can be taught at the college level, and how we can better cultivate scientists, engineers, and other STEM professionals.

The authors invite us into Northwestern University’s Gateway Science Workshop, where the seminar room is infused with a sense of discovery usually confined to the research lab. Conventional science instruction demands memorization of facts and formulas but provides scant opportunity for critical reflection and experimental conversation. Light and Micari stress conceptual engagement with ideas, practical problem-solving, peer mentoring, and—perhaps most important—initiation into a culture of cooperation, where students are encouraged to channel their energy into collaborative learning rather than competition with classmates. They illustrate the tangible benefits of treating students as apprentices—talented young people taking on the mental habits, perspectives, and wisdom of the scientific community, while contributing directly to its development.

Rich in concrete advice and innovative thinking, Making Scientists is an invaluable guide for all who care about the future of science and technology.