Mark McGinley

Research Interests

I am interested in improving the general publics' understanding and appreciation of how the process of science can be used to help us address environmental issues.  The major focus of my Informal Science Education efforts is on the Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE) (http://www.eoearth.org/) an online source of information about the environment. I am currently the Editor-in-Chief of the EoE.   

Tigga Kingston (Biological Sciences), Steve Crooks (Education), Rob Peaslee (Mass Communications), Danny Squire (Education), and I are involved in the Malaysian Bat Education Adventure (http://www.ttu-mbea.org/),  a project that uses the biology of bats in Malaysia as the focus for developing an integrated biology curriculum for elementary and middle-school students.

In collaboration with colleagues from Math and Education I am examining how mathematical models used by engineers, economists, and ecologists can be applied to answering questions in education.  The rigors of applying mathematical models should help educators to determine "best practices" and suggest areas of future research.

I spent the 2010-2011 academic year as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. http://markinmalaysia.blogspot.com/

Selected Publications

• Barakat, C. and M. A. McGinley.  2010. The Encyclopedia of Earth: a Reliable Tool for Science Educators.  The Science Teacher, Vol. 77, No. 2, February 2010.
• McGinley, M.A. 2005. Transferring a course developed for honors students to non-majors biology students: lessons learned. Honors in Practice, Fall/Winter, pp. 85-91.
• McGinley, M.A. 2003. The Process of Science. Kendall-Hunt Publishing
• Selected article  published in the Encyclopedia of Earth (> 100)
  San Solomon Springs, Balmorhea, Texas
  http://www.eoearth.org/article/San_Solomon_Springs,_Balmorhea_Texas
  Coral reef fish feeding behavior in the Caribbean
  http://www.eoearth.org/article/Coral_reef_fish_feeding_behavior_in_the_Caribbean
  Ecology Reader- Ecology for Teachers
  http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecology_Reader-_Ecology_for_Teachers
  Orangutan (with Cynthia Turnage)
  http://www.eoearth.org/article/Orangutan