NEST Research Group

Opinion piece published at The Conversation Canada gets attention in media

As part of the first phase of our SSHRC-funded research project on how teachers navigate socially charged histories in science education, a public-facing opinion piece was published in The Conversation Canada on May 18, 2026. The article argues that the history of science is one of the most powerful tools available to science teachers in a moment when disinformation is spreading and public trust in scientific institutions is under pressure. Rather than avoiding difficult conversations, teachers can use historical case studies — from eugenics to the erasure of women’s contributions in science, to the appropriation of Indigenous knowledge — to help students understand how scientific knowledge is produced, contested, and shaped by social and political forces. The piece also calls for rethinking teacher education and curricula so that educators are supported to bring these critical, historically grounded perspectives into their classrooms. 

The article reached over 14,000 readers in its first week of publication, with approximately 9,000 of those accesses occurring on the first day alone — a response that speaks to the urgency and relevance of these questions for educators, researchers, and the broader public.

See more here: https://theconversation.com/how-teaching-the-history-of-science-can-help-equip-students-to-face-polarized-times-280332