For scholars in many disciplines, having a research paper published in the pre-eminent journal Scienceis a professional high-water mark — a very public recognition of the intellectual rigor that has gone into the creation of their work.
This month, Florida State University has seen not one but two of its researchers published in a single issue of Science. Papers from the following faculty members appeared in the Oct. 5 issue:
Gregory Erickson, a professor of biological science, was the lead author of a paper that examined the unique dental structures of duck-billed dinosaurs — a family of large reptiles that once roamed the Earth in herds some 70 million years ago and could pulverize and consume just about anything that grew from the ground. His findings were documented on pages 98-101 of the Oct. 5 issue of Sciencein the paper “Complex Dental Structure and Wear Biomechanics in Hadrosaurid Dinosaurs.” In writing the paper, Erickson led a research team of paleontologists and engineers from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the University of Florida, the Colorado School of Mines, and the Institute of Materials Research, Materials Mechanics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht in Germany. To read an FSU news story and view a video about Erickson’s research, click here.
Ellen Granger, the director of FSU’s Office of Science Teaching Activities and co-director of FSU-Teach, was the lead author on a paper that documented superior results among students in terms of knowledge retention when they were taught in a “student-centered,” as opposed to a “teacher-centered,” environment. Her findings were documented on pages 105-108 of the Oct. 5 issue of Sciencein the paper “The Efficacy of Student-Centered Instruction in Supporting Science Learning.” In addition to Granger, the research team consisted of Todd Bevis, a research associate in the Office of Science Teaching Activities; Yavuz Saka, a former FSU postdoctoral researcher now teaching at Bülent Ecevit University in Turkey; Professor Sherry Southerland of FSU’s School of Teacher Education, who also co-directs FSU-Teach with Granger; Victor Sampson, an assistant professor in FSU’s School of Teacher Education; and Richard Tate, a retired FSU College of Education faculty member specializing in applied statistics and measurement. To read an FSU news story and view a video about Granger’s research, click here.