SBIR Phase I: Connecting Science and Mathematics through Data

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop materials to help science learners use mathematics more effectively. The project provides a plan for creating new curriculum materials for the science classroom. These materials will use Fathom tm, a new data analysis software package originally developed for mathematics. Also, enhancements for the software to make it more appropriate in science will be designed and implemented. Too often, science students use less-sophisticated mathematics--for example, computing means or proportions--than they use in parallel math classes. Fathom software, coupled with data sources such as the web and probeware, can be used-to help students bring the mathematics they are learning to bear on science. Students' understanding of science concepts will improve, and they will see more connections between their science and mathematics learning. With three successful sample lessons, Epistemological Engineering will be poised to create additional materials and to implement further software enhancements.The proposed research will lead to significant enhancements to Fathom software and open the door to creating curriculum materials in science education using tools previously available only to math educators. Epistemological Engineering will benefit both from opening the science market for Fathom and from the sale of the science curriculum materials that the firm will publish.