William F. McComas, Ph.D.
Parks Family Professor of Science and Technology Education
Curriculum and Instruction
310 Peabody Hall
Phone: 479-575-7525
FAX: 479-575-6676
mccomas@uark.edu
Professional Biography:
William F. McComas, Ph.D., joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions in 2006 as the inaugural holder of the Parks Family Endowed Professorship in Science Education. This position follows more than a decade of service as a professor in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California where he founded PASE, the Program to Advance Science Education. He worked for many years as a middle level and secondary science teacher in suburban Philadelphia before completing the doctorate in science education from the University of Iowa.
McComas is involved in many areas of science education research and policy development. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group (IHPST) and the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE). He is currently on the board of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) as Director at Large.
Dr. McComas is widely published in the areas of the history and philosophy of science. He is the recipient of the Outstanding Evolution Educator and the Excellence in Biology Education research awards from the National Association of Biology Teachers in addition to the Ohaus award for innovations in college science teaching and the Outstanding Science Teacher Educator award from ASTE. In 2004, he received the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest such honor granted by the University. In 2009, he was named the Joseph Astman Conference Scholar by Hofstra University for contributions to the international conference, Darwin's Reach, celebrating the life and legacy of Charles Darwin during the bicentennial of his birth.
McComas is interested in the improvement of laboratory instruction, effective evolution education, the interaction of the philosophy of science and science teaching, science education for gifted students, and science instruction in museums and at field sites. He has authored, co-authored or edited 18 books and book chapters along with 35 peer reviewed articles. He has given more than 30 keynote and invited speeches in addition to more than 70 contributed presentations on various aspects of science teaching and learning. He has chaired more than 25 doctoral dissertations. Eight former students now hold professorships in science education at locations worldwide with many others of his students involved in science education leadership positions in museums, school districts and in classrooms.
His professional interest in photography has resulted in development of instructional units and a major exhibition, The Galápagos Islands: Evolution’s Showcase, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and the Great Lakes Science Center. Over 40 of his photographs have appeared on the covers of a variety of professional journals and in textbooks. In addition, he has developed and hosted tours to ecologically significant areas in Indonesia, Peru, Malaysia, East Africa, the Galápagos Islands, Iceland and Greenland. Bill is married to Kim Krusen McComas, a mathematics teacher who is currently completing her PhD in mathematics education. They have a son, Will, and daughter Emily, who, for some reason, have shown keen interests in science, math and travel!