William F. McComas, Ph.D., is principal investigator for SCIMAP. He is the inaugural holder of the Parks Family Endowed Professorship in Science Education at the University of Arkansas where he directs the Project to Advance Science Education (PASE) as a distinguished professor. This follows a career as a biology and physical science teacher in suburban Philadelphia and professorship at University of Southern California. McComas has earned B.S. degrees in Biology and Secondary Education, M.A. degrees in Biology and Physical Science, and a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Iowa.
At the U of A he teaches classes in educational research methods, the history and philosophy of science for science educators, issues in science education, advanced science teaching methods, and The Darwin Course, a highly interdisciplinary class for honors undergraduates. McComas is also the director of the Professoriate, a campus-wide program sponsored by the U of A Graduate School designed to assist doctoral students in securing positions and earning tenure and promotion in higher education institutions.
McComas has served in leadership roles with the National Science Teachers Association, the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group, the National Association of Biology Teachers and the Association for Science Teacher Education. McComas is a recipient of the Outstanding Evolution Educator and Research in Biology Teaching awards, the Ohaus award for Innovations in College Science Teaching and the ASTE Outstanding Science Teacher Educator and Mentor awards, and the Friend of Darwin accolade from the National Center for Science Education.
He has written and edited several books including The Nature of Science in Science Education: Rationales and Strategies. He has given more than 100 keynote speeches, workshops and presentations at public events and professional meetings in the U.S. and in more than a dozen other countries. McComas was a Fulbright Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning (CASTeL) at Dublin City University, Ireland. For more than a decade he has been editor of the American Biology Teacher, an award-winning journal of research and practice in life science and biology education. McComas is interested in the improvement of laboratory instruction including science fairs, evolution education, the interaction of the philosophy of science and science teaching, science education for gifted students, and science instruction in museums and field settings.
Pabi Maya Das is the project director of SCIMAP and is a funded scholar working in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Arkansas. For more than 18 years, she has worked as a chemistry and biology teacher in middle and secondary schools in Bhutan.
She earned her Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. secondary) from the National Institute of Education in Samtse, Bhutan, Master of Science Education from Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand, where she was supported by the King’s scholarship in recognition for bringing class X science results in Board Examination at the top 10 ranks for four consecutive years in Bhutan. She received Sherig endorsement funds to conduct action research in schools in Bhutan, both science and life skills education, and lead research in an international study on third/ fourth grade students’ understandings of scientific inquiry. She is also a teacher of trainer (TOT) and developer of Life Skills education in Bhutan.
She is currently a doctoral student and a teaching assistant in Curriculum and Instruction in science education at the U of A. As a teaching assistant on the Fayetteville campus, she taught science methods for elementary teachers and introduction to education. Her primary research interests are focused on nature of science, scientific inquiry, misconceptions, STEM education and life skills education.