Science, Science Everywhere

AbstractIf we look to the history of science and engineering, it all begins with phenomena—observations of the natural and human-made worlds that cause one to ask questions and identify problems worth answering and solving. Ancient peoples looked at the world around them and wanted to understand how it worked and how they could use what they saw to address human needs or improve the quality of life. Long before science was even a formalized practice, curiosity about the night sky spurred rigorous observation—and later mathematical modeling. Our ancestors used observation and experiment to learn how to extract metals to make better tools. They developed medicines based on what they noticed happened when certain plants were ingested or applied to the body.Keywords: Informal Education Additional informationNotes on contributorsBeth MurphyBeth Murphy, PhD (bmurphy@nsta.org), is field editor for Connected Science Learning and an independent STEM education consultant with expertise in fostering collaboration between organizations and schools, providing professional learning experiences for educators, and implementing program evaluation that supports practitioners to do their best work.