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Universities all over the world are planning to expand their educational scope by including study-abroad programs in undergraduate science and engineering curricula or by increasing the scope of existing programs. The primary reason for these efforts is the need to prepare the student for the impact of the globalization trend. Technological developments such as the Internet and the e-mail make the programs more attractive because students remain in contact with their home countries while in a foreign land.

The Fourth Annual Women in Engineering Conference held in Washington in May addressed the issue of how to attract more women to careers in engineering and science. Currently there are only about 156,000 female engineers or about 9.1% of all engineering professionals. Several innovative programs undertaken by colleges aimed at attracting more women to engineering and scientific careers described.

James M. Tour's NanoKids project is a work in progress that includes two whimsical and charming animated video segments on DVD, an interview CD with an electronic workbook and games for kids, plus guidebook for teachers and parents and online support. The professor of chemistry has invested $250,000 in the project and expects middle school teachers to use it as a supplement to their other science teaching materials.

The future of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of China in the field of science looks promising because of the foreseen cooperation with China, increased government and private support, and the growth in the number of students taking up science courses. Hong Kong Institution of Science president Leroy L. Chang cautioned the scientific community that it is necessary for the region to sustain the development of an autonomous science infrastructure. The new Chinese government is expected to provide financial support to science education in Hong Kong.

The 3M Visiting Wizard program, initiated by 3M's Technical Forum Organization, has influenced several individuals and has brought informative and exciting science information to elementary and secondary school classrooms. The primary reason for the success of 3M's program is its enthusiastic and well trained volunteers who have brought science to the classrooms in a simple and professional manner. 3M has encouraged various other institutions to start similar science encouragement programs.

The author examines the call for reforming the science curriculum in high schools. Topics include improving science literacy in students, increasing interest in the sciences, and relationships between levels of teaching.

Edward Knapp, new director of the National Science Foundation, is expected to emphasize national security, downplay social concerns. Funds for the improvement of science education have decreased.

The third annual meeting of the National Institute for Science Education in February 1998 determined that participation of professors and students alike is needed to bring about curricular reform. A number of speakers underscored the value of aligning the objectives of both the teachers and students. The forum was attended by biologists, chemists and educational psychologists.

The science magazine WonderScience has published a compilation of its previous issues as it celebrates its 10th anniversary of publication. The book, entitled 'The Best of WonderScience' features an array of 65 collected topics, subdivided into 13 sections. James H. Kessler, the editor of the book, designed the book in order to encourage teachers, as well as parents, to use hands-on science and train kids to perform experiments which require readily available materials. 'The Best of WonderScience' sells for $42.95 and a discount of 15% can be availed of by subscribing directly to American Chemical Society.

The scientific community continues to be divided over the issue of improving scientific literacy, even as a definition of the concept remains elusive and the reasons for its importance are still unclear. For its part, the American Chemical Society has included scientific literacy development in its agenda. An index of scientific literacy has been developed to measure citizens' knowledge of science and technology and its impact on their lives. The mass media have also been identified as important partners in maintaining scientific literacy.

US corporations have become increasingly supportive of science education programs to serve both their altruistic concerns and self-interest. The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) sponsored a one-day conference in late Sep. 1994 to help business enterprises assess their own programs' effectiveness and formulate strategies for science education reform. The NSRC is a joint effort of the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution to reform science education in a systematic manner.

The National Assessment of Education Progress has reported an increased science proficiency among high school students in the period spanning 1970-1992. Science proficiency has been improving since 1980 after reaching a low point in the late 70s. Older students have also increasingly taken higher level science courses such as biology and chemistry. The results show the positive effects of science education reform implemented by many states.

Lee Marek of Naperville North High School, Naperville, IL, and other Chicago-based teachers have developed highly entertaining and educational science videos for science students. Marek's 'Weird Science' uses innovative and unusual demonstration techniques to illustrate scientific principles. 'Weird Science' comes in the form of student and teacher groups, national television shows and radio programs.

The American Assn for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has issued 'Benchmarks for Science Literacy.' The guide, which is the result of the AAAS' Project 2061 study, provides guidelines on what skills and concepts students should have learned from kindergarten to 12th grade. It is, however, different from the standard kit being developed by the National Research Council for the evaluation of educational programs and students.

A commission chaired by former Senator John Glenn creates a plan for the improvement of mathematics and science education in the United States.

The poor state of science education in schools should principally be blamed on poor teacher preparation and the lack of motivation given to good science majors to teach after graduation. Furthermore, there is a dearth of suitable science subjects for nonscience majors, thus compounding the sorry state of science in the academe. The key to an improvement in this state of affairs lies therefore on enhanced teacher competence, which is a responsibility of educational authorities.

The National Science Foundation reports that the enhancement of U.S. science literacy is determined by the upgrading of undergraduate curriculum so as to gain the interest of both students and teachers. An NSF guideline called 'Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology' emphasizes the interrelation of educational levels to the achievement of science literacy. It also calls for formal training of teachers to effect a method of teaching that promotes interaction with students.

George Mason University Clarence Robinson Prof. of Physics James S. Trefil expressed his apprehension over scientific illiteracy among the US public. According to Trefil, this illiteracy is the result of the gap in how students perceive science and how science educators perceive science. He explains that while scientists see science as clearly delineated disciplines, students consider it as interdisciplinary and problem-oriented. He suggested that educators develop science curricula that expound on topics of decreasing importance.

Interest in science is diminishing despite all the proposed reforms because scientific theories remain the centerpiece of science subjects. Consequently, students fail to relate to and appreciate science. The historical approach to teaching science subjects puts students in contact with daily experiences. Students are transported to a world where the development of metallurgy, fermentation, photography and a host of other technologies unfold before their eyes. The historical approach initiates the students to the whys and hows of technology.

Educators insist that there is a dearth of capable science students. The lack of interest in pursuing science courses after the freshman year, according to them, is caused by irrelevant and boring math and science courses. However, there is no evidence supporting the lack of chemical talent. Drops in enrollment in science and technology courses were due mainly to poor job markets. Educators are well-advised to institute changes in their science curricula to attract the best students and meet challenges posed by a highly competitive global economy.

The author defends the present system of teacher preparation, maintaining that educational psychology does not exceed subject specialization.