Science In-Between

By Scott McDonald and Ollie DreonScience Technology Education

Science In-Between episodes

August 13, 2025 Episode 257: Definitely Not Cynical
In this episode, we discuss a recent New York Times article about the Alpha School.
Things that bring us joy this week:
Mike Birbiglia - The Good Life
Ronnie Chieng - Love to Hate It
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
45 min
August 06, 2025 Episode 256: A New Way to Offend
This week we talk about how Terrain Theory as a way of setting health policy is a reflection of a deep misunderstanding of how science works and what a theory really means.
Things that bring us joy this week:
Inception
Superman
Fantastic Four: First Steps
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
45 min
July 30, 2025 Episode 255: Blogs and Podcasts and AI ...Oh my!
In this episode, we discuss a recent NSTA blog post on Rethinking Science Assessment in the Age of AI.
Things that bring us joy this week:
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Lift Hydrofoils
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
45 min
July 23, 2025 Episode 254: Going for the Corners
This week we talk about assessing faculty in higher education and what it means to rate people on a scale.
Satisfactory - fulfilling expectations or needs; acceptable, though not outstanding or perfect.
Things that bring us joy this week:
Watching tennis, specifically The Championships, Wimbeldon
Cake (not the band) - an item of soft, sweet food made from a mixture of flour, shortening, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, baked and often decorated. (Ollie's personal preference is yellow/white cake).
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
51 min
July 16, 2025 Episode 253: Questioning Questions
In this episode, we discuss questions that can be asked during dissertation defenses.
Things that bring us joy this week:
Broadchurch series
Saga Compendium
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
47 min
July 09, 2025 Episode 252: Epistemic Apocalypse
This week we talk about the knowledge system that is at the center of the way we think about learning and speculate what it will take to change it (and if AI is that thing).
Things that bring us joy this week:
Cameron Winter - Specifically Love Takes Miles
Broken Harbor by Tana French
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
40 min
July 02, 2025 Episode 251: Book 'Em!
In this episode, we talk about books about teachers and teaching.
Things that bring us joy this week:
The Bear - Season 4
Ottolenghi
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
45 min
June 23, 2025 Episode 250: Make America Competent Again
This week we talk about the idea of what it means to be a competent outsider to science and how we prepare students to be one of those people.
Feinstein, N. (2011). Salvaging science literacy. Science Education, 95(1), 168–185. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20414
Things that bring us joy this week:
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan
The Phoenician Scheme by Wes Anderson
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
48 min
June 18, 2025 Episode 249: Going International
In this episode, we discuss the nature of international students on US college campuses. We reference the following resource:
Enrollment Trends from the Institute for International Education
Things that bring us joy this week:
Faithful Place by Tana French
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
39 min
June 11, 2025 Episode 248: Negotiation Yoga
This week we talk about negotiations and how they are like teaching.
Things that bring us joy this week:
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
Grilling
Intro/Outro Music: Notice of Eviction by Legally Blind
40 min