Noah Feinstein

Academic Background

AB in Biological Sciences, Harvard University (1998)
First year doctoral student in Science Education, Stanford University
Masters student in Biological Sciences, Stanford University

Professional Experience

After serving a couple of internships in marine ecology and taxonomic biology, I left the natural sciences to do research on HIV/AIDS prevention in under-served populations (Sociometrics Corporation, Senior Research Assistant/Assistant to the President, 1999-2001). Then, having realized that science education was my true professional calling, I spent a summer teaching 4-6 year olds about the San Francisco Bay (Bay Area Discovery Museum, Science Educator, 2001) before taking a full time job in the visitor research department of San Francisco's one and only Exploratorium (Assistant Project Evaluator, 2001-2002). I joined SEAL upon arrival at Stanford in Fall of 2002, and have since worked on research projects involving teachers’ beliefs, formative feedback, and inquiry instruction.

Professional Interests

I am interested in the ways that non-scientist adults access science information and use that information to make decisions about health care, nutrition, reproduction, and policy. Because of the increasingly central role that biotechnology plays in all of our lives (whether we know it or not) I am particularly curious about popular conceptions and misconceptions about genetics and inheritance. I would also like to investigate the role that scientists play in communicating science information to the broader public, and the ways the scientific establishment (from apprenticeship through career advancement and funding) supports and undermines their educational endeavors. Ultimately, I hope that my work will help foster a richer and more productive role for science in public discourse.

Contact Information

• E-mail: noah.feinstein@stanford.edu