LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - On Wednesday, April 20th at 1:00 PM, Dr. William F. McComas will present the keynote address in Price Auditorium at Lock Haven University entitled “Educating Science Creators, Critics, Consumers, and Connoisseurs: What Everyone Should Know About How Science Functions.” As featured speaker for the 2011 Celebration of Scholarship, Dr. McComas will explore the relationship between two major themes central to science education: why we teach science and what everyone must know about it in order to understand and appreciate science as a way of knowing.

Dr. McComas is an alumnus of Lock Haven University, earning his BS in both Biology and Secondary Education. He is the inaugural holder of the Parks Family Endowed Professorship in Science Education at the University of Arkansas following a career as a biology teacher in suburban Philadelphia and professor at the University of Southern California. He is involved in many areas of science education research and policy development. He has served on the boards of directors of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group (IHPST), The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) and the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE). Dr. McComas is widely published in the areas of the history and philosophy of science. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Evolution Educator and Research in Biology Teaching awards from NABT, the Ohaus award for innovations in College Science Teaching and the Outstanding Science Teacher Educator award from ASTE. He is interested in the improvement of laboratory instruction, evolution education, the interaction of the philosophy of science and science teaching, science for gifted students, and science instruction in museums and field sites.

Lock Haven University’s Celebration of Scholarship will include presentations of academic and professional research, performances in music, dance, theatre, and speech as well as exhibits of painting, drawing, sculpture, and animation. Programs will run from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM on April 20. Session times and locations can be found online by following the Celebration of Scholarship “Event Program” link at www.lhup.edu