All of us who work in institutions of higher learning know that the three traditional segments of a university s mission are research, teaching, and service. As a science educator working in the culture of a land grant institution, I have long held that research, teaching, and service must be integrated under the umbrella of a professional mission. The research that we conduct, the teaching that we do, and the service that we perform need to be considered as an integrated entity, one that informs, and is in turn informed by, society. I also know full well that many in the scientific community do not concur with this view.
Many scientists focus on the research segment of a university s mission.
They integrate teaching with research only in their doctoral programs, and they leave the practical outcomes and implications of their work to others. For example, low levels of public understanding of science in general and evolution theory in particular can influence the science taught in K-12 schools. A specific instance concerning evolution theory occurs in the formation of state education policy by boards comprised of elected lay members of the public. A year into the development process, KSBE members and the writing committee remain engaged in dialog about a single issue, the presence or absence of evolution theory in the state science standards. The ten members of the KSBE seem about equally divided on the issue.