Educational Research and Organizations:

I am primarily interested in enhancing scientific literacy through projects that enhance the professional development of pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers and future college faculty.

• I am the lead faculty member for the Doctor of Arts in Biology graduate program, which is designed specifically to prepare future college faculty through a curriculum that includes graduate-level coursework in biology, seminars in college teaching, supervised teaching internships, and a dissertation.
• I am currently the PI of Idaho State Universities Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education Project, which provides graduate fellowships to students in the STEM fields. Students partner with local science, math, and engineering teachers to provide an enriched environment for teaching and learning.
• I have recently completed an NSF-funded project to enhance the Biology Teaching Methods course at ISU. The course provides future teachers with a practical approach to including inquiry and examples from their local environment in their classes.

Recent Presentations and Conference Abstracts: 

Smith, R.J., Naegle, E., and S. Baviskar.  Biology Education and Science Outreach at Idaho State University.  NABT Professional Development Conference, November 2007.
Smith, R.J.  Working with the media. NSF GK-12 conference, 2007.  Workshop presenter.
Smith, R.J. “The nature of evidence in science, distinguishing evidence from experience, and strategies for applying critical thinking research to teaching evolution and the nature of science.”  Oral Paper, NSTA Western Regional Conf., Salt Lake City, UT Dec 7-9, 2006.
Smith, R.J. and S. Belzer. “Teaching strategy for college-aged students: assessing critical thinking with a constructivist method.”  Oral Paper. NABT Professional Development Conference, Albuquerque, NM Oct 11-14, 2006.
Smith R. J. and S. Belzer. “Research on the effectiveness of an inquiry-based biology teaching methods course.” Oral paper. ASTE Conference, Portland, OR Jan 12-14, 2006.
Smith, R. J.  “Inquiry-based lessons to teach biology using native plants and animals.”  Workshop. Great Rift Science Symposium, Pocatello, ID Oct 6-9, 2005.
Belzer, S. and R. Smith. “Teaching pre-service High School biology teachers using inquiry-based lessons.  Paper. NABT Annual Convention, Milwaukee, WI Oct, 2005.
Baviskar, S. and R. Smith. “Teaching about cells using stem cells.” Paper.  NABT Annual convention, NABT Annual Convention, Milwaukee, WI Oct., 2005.
Delmonte, J., Baviskar, S., Hartle, T., Anderson, N., Anderson, S., Valella, P.  and R. Smith. “Biology and education: can mating the two produce fertile offspring?  Poster. NABT, Chicago IL Oct. 2004.
Smith, R.J. and S. Belzer.  Symposium on Secondary Science Methods.  Oral paper, symposium. NABT, Portland, OR Oct 8-11, 2003.
Smith, R.J., Lung M., Merriam, J. and T. Filliater.  “The Doctor of Arts program in Biology at Idaho State University: A model for preparing future college faculty.”  Poster, ESA, Tucson, AZ  August 4-9, 2002.
Belzer, S. and R. Smith.  “Collaborative efforts to revise science methods courses.”  Paper.  NSTA, Salt Lake City UT Oct 25-27, 2001.
Undergraduate Research at Biological Field Stations:  Project Kaleidoscope 2000
New Methods course for pre-service Biology Teachers:  Project Kaleidoscope 2000

Papers:

Briggs, Brandon, Mitton, T., Magnuson, T. and Smith, Rosemary J.  2008. Teaching cellular respiration and alternative energy sources through a GK-12 partnership. American Biology Teacher, on-line.
Smith, Rosemary J. and Belzer, Sharolyn J.  2006.  Research on the effectiveness of an inquiry-based Biology Teaching Methods Course.  ASTE Conference Proceedings [online].  Available: http://theaste.org/publications/.  [2006 Proceedings, peer reviewed].
Belzer, Sharolyn J., Rosemary J. Smith, and Mark Lung.  2004.  Developing and assessing a biology teaching methods course within a Department of Biological Sciences.  Electronic Journal of Science Education [online]. Available: http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/crowther/ejse/ejsev8n4.html [8(4), June 2004].
Smith, Rosemary J. 2003.  Fact vs. Theory, Again.  Letter to the Editor, American Biology Teacher 65(1): 10-11.
Smith, Rosemary J. 1993. Biological Field Stations: Opportunities for undergraduate and faculty research. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, XII:4: May.
Smith, Rosemary J. and Joel S. Brown. 1991. A practical technique for measuring the behavior of foraging animals. The American Biology Teacher 53 (4): 236-242.

Current Funding:

Co-PI: NSF CCLI with RMBL	“Using a place-based bioinformatics environment to enrich education.” (Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory)	Submitted	May 2008	3 yrs. $200,000
PI: NSF Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education	“Continuing GK-12: Enhancing science literacy in southeast Idaho with community-based projects and university/K-12 partnerships."	Awarded	Dec. 2006	3 years  $1.8 Million
PI: NSF Grad-K-12 Fellowship Program	"Track 1 GK-12: Enhancing science literacy in southeast Idaho with community-based projects and university/K-12 partnerships."	Awarded	Feb. 2004	3 years  $1.9 Million
PI: NSF Course, Curriculum & Laboratory Improvement	"A Methods Course to Prepare Preservice Biology Teachers to Use Inquiry: Adapting the Focal Ecosystem Model."  (Collaborative with Dr. Sharolyn Belzer)	Awarded	May 2003	3 years  $97,629

ISU Technology Mediated Instruction Initiative	"Creating web-supported Biology Teaching Methods course", (with Dr. S. Belzer)	Awarded	April 2002	$5,000
ISU Capital Outlay Committee	Videomicroscopy equipment, (with Dr. Curt Anderson) Video-flex equipment for laboratory and lecture demonstrations Scantron optical mark reader with computerized test item analysis	Awarded	1999 2000 2001	$2633 $2600 $5000

Links to Biology/Science Teacher Organizations:

My favorite:  Project Kaleidoscope	NABT (Nat. Assoc. Biology Teachers)
CUR Council on Undergraduate Research	NSTA (Nat. Science Teachers Assoc.)
NAS (National Academies of Science)	Ecol. Soc. Amer.  Education Section
Re-Envisioning the Ph.D.	ENSI/SENSI:  Teaching Evolution