INSTANCES: incorporating computational scientific thinking advances into education & science courses

The INSTANCES project strives to create science educational materials that incorporate computation as an essential element [1]. Figure 1 illustrates how the authors incorporate this modern approach of scientific problem solving. Although a decade ago the combination of computing, science and applied mathematics known as computational science was rarely known beyond a few research universities, today K-12 organizations such as the Computer Science Teachers Association [2] and the National Science Teachers Association [3] recommend that secondary school classrooms teach simulation as a cornerstone of scientific inquiry.