Historian - Civic Educator

Science Education
as Civic Education

My work addresses the intersection of science learning, US history, and the democratic promise of liberal education. Executive Director of the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement — Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Div. Q).

Things to Read About Eliza
Current Focus Areas
Curriculum
STEM learning that empowers responsible, lifelong learners who can apply the knowledge, values, and methods of science to civic challenges.
Professional Development
Workshops, webinars, institutes, and research to support formal and informal science educators.
Collaboration
Building alliances and partnerships among STEM reform initiatives, science advocacy organizations, and civic education initiatives.
From the Blog

Recent Writing

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Learning from the Past

Who Calls the Tune? Robert Lynd, the Truman Commission, and the Enduring Barriers to Higher Education Reform

March 11, 2026 · 5 min read

In April 1948, the sociologist Robert S. Lynd published a review essay in The Journal of Higher Education as a response to the 1946 Truman Commission’s landmark report,…

STEM Reform

The Social Contract with Science: Why Civic Engagement Must Shape the Curriculum

March 5, 2026 · 5 min read

In her 1997 Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of the Advancement of Science, Jane Lubchenko called for a “new social contract” for science: the…