Ron Hermann (left) and Rommel Miranda
Rommel Miranda and Ron Hermann, both in the Department of Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences in the Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, have been named the inaugural editors of “Innovations in Science Teacher Education,” a new journal being launched by the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) Publications Committee.
“When we heard that the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) was developing a new journal, we were really excited as it is an ideal place for science educators to write about the work they do to prepare science teachers,” said Hermann. “Once we talked further about it, we realized that not only is Innovations in Science Teacher Education (ISTE) an ideal place for us to share our work, it is also a great opportunity for us to be involved in helping other science educators share their work.”
The faculty members responded to an international/national call for applications for the position of editor of ISTE. They are both very involved in the host organization and its publications committee, so they prepared an application that included a description of reviewing and editing experience, publication experience, and overview of our professional work. The next round included questions from an ad-hoc group headed by the co-chairs of the publications committee.
The professors will serve as co-editors for five years. The first half-year they are working towards launching the inaugural issue in July 2016. In addition to the typical duties of an editor (assigning reviewers, communicating with authors, copy editing and summarizing reviews to determine whether the manuscripts will be published), the pair is developing the submission website and submission guidelines, selecting editorial review board members and establishing criteria for manuscript reviews.
“It has been a lot of work, but we both love the work we are doing and the mission of the journal,” Hermann continued.
Miranda is equally enthusiastic about becoming involved with the journal.
“The journal is a great fit for science educators and universities like Towson University where professors do research but also focus a lot of time on teaching in-service teachers and providing professional development for in-service teachers,” he said. “This journal is not intended for research on science education; there are already many journals with that focus. This journal really suits the needs of science educators who are doing innovative science teacher preparation activities and it is a place to share those innovations with peers. So it is a fantastic extension of the kind of work we are doing at Towson.”
