Category: News

Happy to Welcome the Leaders of the Biology Teachers’ Communities to Our Lab

We were excited to host a special meeting for the leaders of the Biology Teachers’ Communities in our lab!
The meeting brought together a dedicated group of educators committed to strengthening and enriching biology teaching across Israel.

🔬 The session featured innovative laboratory experiments led by the Laboratory Center at Bar-Ilan University, giving participants hands-on experience with fresh experimental techniques and ideas.

🌱 Supporting and empowering biology teachers is at the heart of what we do — because advancing science education starts with a strong, inspired teaching community.

Prof. Cohen-Azria’s Visit to Our Research Group

We were delighted to host Prof. Cora Cohen-Azria from the University of Lille (France)! Her talk offered fascinating perspectives on how schools and museums can work together to support young people’s scientific understanding — sparking a wonderful discussion about learning, culture, and science/biology education.

Visit to EPFL – EuroTech Universities Graduate Travel Grant

As part of the EuroTech Universities Graduate Travel Grant, Anna Pshenichny-Mamo visited the Laboratory for the History of Science and Technology at EPFL, hosted by Prof. Jérôme Baudry.
During the visit, she presented her ongoing research and current highlights from research in our group. She engaged in a stimulating discussion with Prof. Baudry and the lab members, receiving valuable feedback and insights.
The visit also included explorations of the natural history museums in Lausanne and Bern, as well as other scientific institutions in Switzerland, contributing to a broader understanding of science communication and the role of museums in public engagement with science.

📘 New Book Publication: Citizen Science Contributions to Biology and Environmental Education

We are pleased to announce the publication of the new edited volume Citizen Science Contributions to Biology and Environmental Education: Realities, Impact and Opportunities, edited by Prof. Dina Tsybulsky and Prof. Tali Tal, and published by Springer.

🔗https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-99298-8

The book brings together chapters written by leading international scholars, exploring how Citizen Science contributes to biology and environmental education and fosters meaningful connections between research, teaching, and public engagement.

Our research group proudly contributed two chapters to this volume — reflecting our ongoing work on citizen science, biology education, and authentic learning environments.

Ben-Simon, H. & Tsybulsky, D. (2025). The pedagogical potential of citizen science in cultivating scientific reasoning, statistical reasoning, and NOS understanding. In D.  Tsybulsky, D. & T. Tal (Eds.), Citizen Science Contributions to Biology and Environmental Education: Realities, Impact and Opportunities. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-99298-8_7

Dvir, M. & Tsybulsky, D. (2025). Engaging students with citizen science data: Gateway to new scientific frontiers. In D.  Tsybulsky, D. & T. Tal (Eds.), Citizen Science Contributions to Biology and Environmental Education: Realities, Impact and Opportunities. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-99298-8_5

 

Invited Talk for Guides’ Professional Development – Steinhardt Museum

Anna Pshenichny-Mamo contributed to the professional development course for guides at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.
Her session focused on approaches for integrating Nature of Science (NOS) into museum tours, drawing on guidance practices developed through her research in collaboration with experienced guides.

The course created space for rich discussions around research-based practices and highlighted the vital role guides play as mediators between visitors and science. It also showed how practice-oriented professional development can empower guides to meaningfully embed NOS principles in informal learning environments.

Symposium/papers/posters presentations – ICER2025

Symposium

Tsybulsky, D. & Tal, T. Advancing Biology and Environmental Education through Citizen Science. ICER2025 conference. Acre, September 2025. Symposium.

Tsybulsky, D. & Ben Simon, H. Transforming biology and environmental education through citizen science: the pedagogical potential of citizen science projects to cultivate scientific reasoning, statistical reasoning, and understanding of the nature of science. ICER2025 conference. Acre, September 2025. Oral presentation in a symposium.

Oral presentations

Dagan, K. & Tsybulsky, D. Practical training for remote science teaching: Interrelations between experiences, pedagogical beliefs, and teaching practices. ICER2025 conference. Acre, Israel, September 2025. Oral presentation.

Ophir, M. & Tsybulsky, D. The development of facilitation expertise in a professional learning community: a leadership perspective from a community of biology teacher-facilitators.  ICER2025 conference. Acre, September 2025. Oral presentation.

Pshenichny-Mamo, A. & Tsybulsky, D. Integrating nature of science in natural history museums: Three research foci. ICER2025 conference. Acre, September 2025. Oral presentation.

Stern, G. & Tsybulsky, D. Pedagogical design principles for promoting personalized learning through digital curation. ICER2025 conference. Acre, September 2025. Oral presentation.

Posters

Ben Simon, H., & Tsybulsky, D. The role of designed purposes in mediating authentic scientific purposes in citizen science projects. ICER2025 conference. Acre, September 2025. Poster presentation. PDF.

Yifrach, L., & Tsybulsky, D. Authentic inquiry-based learning as a lever for understanding the nature of science: from personal sleep tracking to scientific laboratory research. ICER2025 conference. Acre, September 2025. Poster presentation. PDF.