18222770 visits

BSc (UWO), HBSc (UWO),
PhD (Laval)

Assistant Professor

Department of Biology
Faculty of Science
and
Faculty of Education
University of Ottawa

Science Education and
Science Communication
(Ecology, Evolution and
Environmental Science)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Professeur adjoint

Département de biologie
Faculté des sciences
et
Faculté de l’Éducation
Université d’Ottawa

Pédagogie scientifique et communication scientifique
(Écologie, Évolution et Sciences
Environnementales)

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Welcome

My current research revolves around two aspects of the scholarship of teaching and learning, those of Science Education and Science Communication. In the former, I have developed novel teaching methods and technologies that have been shown to improve the learning environment, knowledge transfer and application for undergraduate students of Biology. My current projects involve analyses of linguistic challenges to learning of science terminology and learning science in non-English languages, as well as a study of the role of exemplification and monologue vs. dialogue discourses in the delivery of science content during classroom lectures. As part of my work related to the field of Science Communication, I have brought an emphasis for the learning of skills for the public communication of science into the curriculum and evaluation of undergraduate students of science. Additionally, I am actively creating, producing, narrating and hosting a number of science communication media productions for TV shows, documentaries and Internet video blogs.

My past research program has focused on the factors that influence insect-flower interactions as they relate to berry production in the wild cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) and the cultivated cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). More recently, I have had students doing projects in the strawberry (Fragaria vesca) fields around Ottawa and wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) in the Gatineau Park in Quebec.

By looking at pollinator diversity and activity, pollination effectiveness and importance as well as patterns of fruit set and abortions, my aim is to understand dynamics of ecological interactions in agriculture in order to develop sustainable agro-ecological management techniques. Advances in such research could hopefully lead to lessening the ecological and environmental impact of agricultural practices by reducing habitat destruction and pesticide use. Consequently, native biodiversity can be promoted in agro-ecosystems, which can in turn benefit from the ecosystem services provided by this biodiversity, such as pollination and pest predation/parasitism.

I have also been a lifelong performer (and more recently a teacher) of the arts, having participated in performances of music, dance and theatre to audiences throughout North America and Europe. I feel it is important for me to bridge the gap between the left and right hemispheres of the brain by exploring the art of science and the science of art.

Recent Publications

  1. Paul Chiu, Alandeom W. Oliveira, Giuliano Reis & Adam O. Brown (2024) Feeling the heat: undergraduate science students’ emotional management during classroom debates, International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public EngagementDOI: 10.1080/21548455.2024.2316121 (download.pdf)
  2. Reis, G. Jeelani, M. and A.O. Brown. 2023. “Where is God during a Natural Disaster?” Potential Implications of Public Discourses of Religion for Science Curricula. In: Favio, X. (ed.), Science Curriculum for the Anthropocene, Volume 2: Curriculum Models for our Collective Future. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave MacMillan Press.
  3. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O., Carroll, M.L., Blenkarn, W., Austin, B. & Bretzlaff, T. 2023. Biology Students’ Views of Science Communication: A Reflective Approach to Oral Communication in Undergraduate Education. Journal of College Science Teaching. 52: 60-67. (download.pdf)
  4. Oliveira, A. W., Mirel, O. & A. O.  Brown (2023) ‘I invite you to take a sip from the golden fountain and confirm these statements for yourself’: preparing undergraduate science students to publicly address pseudoscientific news. International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement,14:1, 47-71. (download.pdf)
  5. Oliveira, A. W., & Brown, A. O. (2023). Pitching STEM: a communicative approach to entrepreneurship in STEM classrooms. In Enhancing Entrepreneurial Mindsets Through STEM Education (pp. 325-348). Cham: Springer International Publishing. (download.pdf)
  6. Oliveira, A. W., Brown, A. O., Day, K., Saviolli, R., Campbell, S. J., Potkins, H., & Weld, J. M. (2022). Authorised cheat sheets in undergraduate biology: Using pictographic organisers to foster student creative cognition. Review of Education, 10, e3380. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3380 (download.pdf)
  7. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O. 2022. Experiencing the entrepreneurial side of science: undergraduate students pitching science-based businesses. Entrepreneurship Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41959-022-00087-7 (download.pdf)
  8. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O., Zhang, W.S., LeBrun, P., Eaton, L. & S. Yemen. 2021. Fostering creativity in science learning: The potential of open-ended student drawing.  Teaching and Teacher Education. 105, 103416. (download.pdf)
  9. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O., Carroll, M.L., Blenkarn, W., Austin, B. & Bretzlaff, T. 2021. Developing undergraduate student oral science communication through video reflection. International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement DOI: 10.1080/21548455.2021.1907630  (download.pdf)
  10. Reis, G., Brown, A.O., Pedreira, A.J., Delano, S. and B. Jayme. (2019). Evolution as Creationism in Sheep’s Clothing: Challenging Ideals of ‘Normalcy’ and ‘Naturalness’ (pp. 209-236) in Nature and Society. In: Oliveira, A.W. & Cook, K. (Eds.), Evolution Education and the Rise of the Creationist Movement in Brazil. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Available on Amazon
  11. Oliveira, A.W., Bretzlaff, T., & A.O. Brown. 2020. Memorable Exemplification in Undergraduate Biology. Research in Science Education. 50: 625-643 (download.pdf)
  12. Oliveira, A.W., Johnston, E. & Brown, A.O. 2018. Exemplification in Undergraduate Biology: Dominant Images and Their Impact on Student Acquisition of Conceptual Knowledge. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. 18:1-17 (download.pdf).
  13. Brown, A.O. 2017. The Role of Values in the Effectiveness of Public Communications of Science for Sustainability.  Education Review, 5: 14-17. (download.pdf)
  14. Oliveira, A.W. and A.O. Brown.  2016. Exemplification in Science Instruction: Teaching and Learning through Examples.  Journal for Research in Science Teaching. 53: 737-767. (download.pdf). This manuscript was short-listed as one of 5 articles with Research Worth Reading for 2016 by the USA National Science Teachers’ Association.
  15. Brown. A.O. 2014. Lexical access, knowledge transfer and meaningful learning of scientific terminology via an etymological approach. International Journal of Biology Education. 3: 1-12. (download.pdf)
  16. Brown, A.O. 2011. The Biology Undergraduate Student's Guide to Success. Nelson Education. 56p. (view book info here)
  17. Brown, A.O. and J.N. McNeil. 2009 Pollination ecology of the high latitude, dioecious cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus: Rosaceae). American Journal of Botany. 96: 1096-1107. (download .pdf)
  18. Brown, A.O. and J.N. McNeil. 2006. Fruit production in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.): a bet-hedging strategy to optimize reproductive effort. American Journal of Botany. 93: 910-916. (download .pdf).
  19. Pelletier, L., A. Brown, B. Otrysko and J.N. McNeil. 2001. Entomophily of the cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.). Entomologia experimentalis et applicata. 101: 219-224. (download .pdf)

Bienvenue

Ma recherche actuelle est associée à deux aspects de la scolarité de l’enseignement et l’apprentissage, soit l’éducation scientifique et la communication scientifique. Dans le premier des cas, j’ai développé des technologies et des méthodes d’enseignement innovateurs qui ont été démontré à améliorer l’environnement d’apprentissage, le transfert et l’application de la connaissance auprès des étudiant.e.s en biologie au premier cycle. Mes projets actuels visent des analyses des défis linguistiques lors de l’apprentissage de la terminologie scientifique et pendant l’apprentissage de la science dans des langues autre que l’anglais, ainsi que le rôle de l’exemplification et les discours monologues vs. dialogues dans la livraison du contenu scientifique pendant les cours magistraux. Pour mon travail dans le domaine de la communication scientifique, j’ai créer une accentuation sur le développement des capacités dans la communication scientifique envers le public dans le curriculum et l’évaluation des étudiant.e.s de la science au premier cycle. De plus, je suis actif dans la création, production, narration et l’animation d’un grand nombre de productions médiatiques pour des émissions à la télévision, des documentaires de la science et des blogues vidéos à l’internet. Mon programme de recherche antérieur a regardé les facteurs qui influencent les interactions insectes-fleurs par rapport à la production aux petits fruits, chez la chicouté sauvage (Rubus chamaemorus) et la canneberge cultivée (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Plus récemment, j'ai supervisé des étudiant/e/s qui ont étudié l'écologie de la pollinisation des fraisiers (Fragaria vesca) dans les champs agricole autour d'Ottawa et des bleuetiers (Vaccinium angustifolium) dans le Parc Gatineau au Québec. En échantillonnant la diversité des pollinisateurs et en mesurant leur activité, l’efficacité et l’importance à la pollinisation, ainsi que les patrons de la production en fruits, mon but est de développer des mécanismes de gestion écologiquement soutenable pour l’agriculture, par la voie des recherches fondamentales qui permettent de déterminer les mécanismes des interactions écologiques. Du progrès dans ces genres de recherches pourraient éventuellement réduire l’impacte écologique et environnementale de l’agriculture, tel par la réduction de la destruction de l’habitat et l’utilisation des pesticides chimiques. Par conséquent, la biodiversité indigène peut être encouragée autour des agro-écosystèmes, qui peuvent contribuer des services écosystémiques, tel la pollinisation et la prédation des ravageurs. Je suis depuis longtemps un participant (et plus récemment enseignant) des arts, ayant participé pendant des concerts de musique, des spectacles de la danse et figurant dans des projets théâtraux pour des audiences en Amérique du Nord et en Europe. Pour moi, c’est important de faire le lien entre les deux hémisphères du cerveau en explorant l’art de la science et la science de l’art.

Publications pertinentes

  1. Paul Chiu, Alandeom W. Oliveira, Giuliano Reis & Adam O. Brown (2024) Feeling the heat: undergraduate science students’ emotional management during classroom debates, International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public EngagementDOI: 10.1080/21548455.2024.2316121 (télécharger.pdf)
  2. Reis, G. Jeelani, M. and A.O. Brown. 2023. “Where is God during a Natural Disaster?” Potential Implications of Public Discourses of Religion for Science Curricula. In: Favio, X. (ed.), Science Curriculum for the Anthropocene, Volume 2: Curriculum Models for our Collective Future. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave MacMillan Press.
  3. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O., Carroll, M.L., Blenkarn, W., Austin, B. & Bretzlaff, T. 2023. Biology Students’ Views of Science Communication: A Reflective Approach to Oral Communication in Undergraduate Education. Journal of College Science Teaching. 52: 60-67. (télécharger.pdf)
  4. Oliveira, A. W., Mirel, O. & A. O.  Brown (2023) ‘I invite you to take a sip from the golden fountain and confirm these statements for yourself’: preparing undergraduate science students to publicly address pseudoscientific news. International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement,14:1, 47-71. (télécharger.pdf)
  5. Oliveira, A. W., & Brown, A. O. (2023). Pitching STEM: a communicative approach to entrepreneurship in STEM classrooms. In Enhancing Entrepreneurial Mindsets Through STEM Education (pp. 325-348). Cham: Springer International Publishing. (télécharger.pdf
  6. Oliveira, A. W., Brown, A. O., Day, K., Saviolli, R., Campbell, S. J., Potkins, H., & Weld, J. M. (2022). Authorised cheat sheets in undergraduate biology: Using pictographic organisers to foster student creative cognition. Review of Education, 10, e3380. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3380 (télécharger.pdf)
  7. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O. 2022. Experiencing the entrepreneurial side of science: undergraduate students pitching science-based businesses. Entrepreneurship Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41959-022-00087-7 (télécharger.pdf)
  8. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O., Zhang, W.S., LeBrun, P., Eaton, L. & S. Yemen. 2021. Fostering creativity in science learning: The potential of open-ended student drawing.  Teaching and Teacher Education. 105, 103416. (télécharger.pdf)
  9. Oliveira, A.W., Brown, A.O., Carroll, M.L., Blenkarn, W., Austin, B. & Bretzlaff, T. (2021): Developing undergraduate student oral science communication through video reflection. International Journal of Science Education, Part B. DOI: 10.1080/21548455.2021.1907630  (télécharger.pdf)
  10. Reis, G., Brown, A.O., Pedreira, A.J., Delano, S. and B. Jayme. (2019). Evolution as Creationism in Sheep’s Clothing: Challenging Ideals of ‘Normalcy’ and ‘Naturalness’ (pp. 209-236) in Nature and Society. In: Oliveira, A.W. & Cook, K. (Eds.), Evolution Education and the Rise of the Creationist Movement in Brazil. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Disponible sur Amazon
  11. Oliveira, A.W., Bretzlaff, T., & A.O. Brown. 2020. Memorable Exemplification in Undergraduate Biology. Research in Science Education. 50: 625-643 (télécharger.pdf)
  12. Oliveira, A.W., Johnston, E. & Brown, A.O. (2018). Exemplification in Undergraduate Biology: Dominant Images and Their Impact on Student Acquisition of Conceptual Knowledge. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. 18:1-17 (télécharger.pdf)
  13. Brown, A.O. 2017. The Role of Values in the Effectiveness of Public Communications of Science for Sustainability.  Education Review, 5: 14-17. (télécharger.pdf)
  14. Oliveira, A.W. et A.O. Brown.  2016. Exemplification in Science Instruction: Teaching and Learning through Examples.  Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 53: 737-767. (télécharger.pdf)
  15. Brown. A.O. 2014. Lexical access, knowledge transfer and meaningful learning of scientific terminology via an etymological approach. International Journal of Biology Education. 3: 1-12. (télécharger.pdf)
  16. Brown, A.O. 2011. Guide vers le succès pour les étudiant.e.s au 1er cycle en biologie.  Nelson Education. 56p. (voir les infos sur le livre ici)
  17. Brown, A.O. et J.N. McNeil. Pollination ecology of the high latitude, dioecious cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus: Rosaceae). American Journal of Botany. 96: 1096-1107. (télécharger .pdf)
  18. Brown, A.O. et J.N. McNeil. 2006. Fruit production in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.): a bet-hedging strategy to optimize reproductive effort. American Journal of Botany. 93: 910-916. (télécharger .pdf).
  19. Pelletier, L., A. Brown, B. Otrysko et J.N. McNeil. 2001. Entomophily of the cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.). Entomologia experimentalis et applicata. 101: 219-224. (télécharger .pdf).