Faculty Directory
G. Michael Barnett
Professor
G. Michael Barnett
Ph.D.
Contact
Campion Hall Room 123
Telephone: 617-552-0658
Email: george.barnett@bc.edu
Education
- Ph.D., Instructional Systems Technology with emphasis in Science Education, Indiana University, Bloomington
- M.S., Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington
Courses
Teaching about the Natural World
Research Interests
Urban science education, educational technology, trust-building in university-school partnerships
Expertise
- STEM Teaching and Learning
- Urban Education
Department
Publications
- Zhang, H., Barnett, G. M., Jackson, D., Kiel, J., Beal, K., & DePamphilis, D. (2024). Moving beyond Hierarchies: Building and Sustaining Equity-Focused Collaborative Partnership over Time. In Boundary Spanning in School-University Partnerships. Information Age Publishing.
- Zhang, H., Hira, A., Phatak, J., Barnett, G. M., & Shah, S. A. (2024). Growing STEM Leaders: High School Youth as Teachers and Mentors through Teaching Physical Computing. In Ş. Orakcı (Ed.), Redesigning the Future of Education in the Light of New Theories, Teaching Methods, Learning, and Researches. Information Age Publishing. P. 168-182.
- Beheshti, M., Shah, S. A., Zhang, H., Barnett, M., & Hira, A. (2024). Affordances of Technology for Sustainability-Oriented K–12 Informal Engineering Education. Sustainability, 16(16), 6719. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/6719
- Konowitz, L., - Terese, - Lincoln, B., - Reed, M., - Liang, B., - Barnett, M., & - Blustein, D. (2022). Changemakers: Influences on Engagement in STEM Curricula Among Underrepresented Youth. European Journal of Psychology and Educational Research, volume-5-2022(volume-5-issue-2-december-2022), 103-113. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejper.5.2.103
- Shah, A., Park, J. H., Raphael, D., Beheshti, M., Phatak, J. U., Sun, C., Hira, A., Zhang, H., & Barnett, M. (2024). Dynamics of Interest and Competency Belief in Coding among Middle-schoolers. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences-ICLS 2024, pp. 1586-1589
- Phatak, J. U., Hira, A., Zhang, H., Shah, A., & Barnett, M. (2024). Understanding the Peer Mentoring Experiences of High School Students in an Out-of-School STEM Camp: An Exploratory Study. In Lindgren, R., Asino, T. I., Kyza, E. A., Looi, C. K., Keifert, D. T., & Suárez, E. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2024 (pp. 1830-1833). International Society of the Learning Sciences
- Shah, S. A., Phatak, J. U., Hira, A., Zhang, H., & Barnet, M. (2024). Smart Greenhouse: Bridging Physical Computing, Plant Science, and Data Literacy Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2, Portland, OR, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/3626253.3635433
- Jackson, D. W., Zhang, H., Anderson, E., Barnett, M., Chao, J., Connor, C., Lee, H., Lee, I., Lore, C., Perret, B., Pallant, A., Phatak, J., Proctor, C., Shah, A., Wagh, A., & Grover, S. (2023). Computation within and beyond disciplinary communities: Learnings from K-12 in-school-time studies. In Blikstein, P., Van Aalst, J., Kizito, R., & Brennan, K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2023 (pp. 1686-1695). International Society of the Learning Sciences.
- McKinley-Hicks, M. Suchow, A, Bennet, K., Cox, L., Faulkner, G., Hill, M., Barnett, M., & Zhang, H (2022). It’s Okay that you add your touch: Fostering imagining and creating through STEAM education. Connected Science Learning. 4(5). https://www.nsta.org/connected-science-learning/connected-science-learning-september-october-2022/its-okay-you-add-your
- Deoksoon, Kim, So Lim Kim, & Barnett, M (2021). That makes sense now! Bicultural middle school students’ learning in a culturally relevant science classroom. International Journal of Multicultural education, 23(2), 145-172.
External Funded Grants
- Principal Investigator (Avneet Hira, Helen Zhang, Ruth Kermish, Shenqua Za, Co-PIs). Building Teacher Capacity for Teaching Across Science Disciplines Using "Smart" Greenhouses, National Science Foundation, $3,000,000, 10/01/24 – 09/30/27.
- Principal Investigator (Claudia Rinaldi, Maureen Kenny, Avneet Hira, Helen Zhang, CO-PIs). Building a youth-led learning community through automating hydroponic grow systems. National Science Foundation, 1,414,733. #204899, June 2021 – June 2024
- Principal Investigator (Helen Zhang, Co-Pi). Enabling opportunities for interest: Building capacity in youth for post-secondary success. Anonymous Family Foundation, $200,000, Sept 2020 – August 2022
- Principal Investigator: Building a pathway for urban youth to college, Linde Family Foundation, $160,000 Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Helen Zhang, Mr. Rajeev Rupani. Sept. 1 2018 – August 30, 2020.
- Principal Investigator: Change Makers: Urban Youth Food Justice Ambassadors, $1,997,930 National Science Foundation. Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Helen Zhang (Boston College), Dr. David Blustein (Boston College), Dr. Belle Liang (Boston College). Sept. 1 2017 – August 30, 2022.
- Principal Investigator: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Computational Environmental Science, $1,515,000. National Science Foundation. Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Helen Zhang (Boston College), Dr. Ben Shapiro (University of Colorado-Boulder), Dr. Ludovico Cademartiri (Iowa State), Dr. David Blustein (Boston College). Sept. 1 2018 – August 30, 2023.
- Co-Principal Investigator: Broadening Participation by Middle-School Students in STEM via Integrating Hands-on Experiences in Science Learning, $299,621. National Science Foundation. Principal Investigator: Meghan Hill (Mosesian Center for the Arts), Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Helen Zhang (Boston College), Dr. Belle Liang (Boston College). 2018-2021
- Principal Investigator: Strategies: Seeding the Future of STEM researchers through emerging agricultural technologies, $1,198,658. National Science Foundation. Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Helen Zhang (Boston College), Dr. Ludovico Cademartiri (Iowa State), Dr. David Blustein (Boston College). 2016-2021
- Principal Investigator: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Computational Environmental Science, $1,515,000. National Science Foundation. Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Helen Zhang (Boston College), Dr. Ben Shapiro (University of Colorado-Boulder), Dr. Ludovico Cademartiri (Iowa State), Dr. David Blustein (Boston College). 2016-2021
Recent Media Stories
- Urban Hydrofarmers Project Sows Seeds of Success among 'Resilient' Youth
- CBS: Chinese Schools Adopt an American Approach
- Robots Take Over McDevitt
- World Journal: Begin to Solve the Problem of the Introduction of China's Basic Education
- BC Professor Adds Hands-on Lessons to Chinese Schools
- Boston College Professor Innovative Practice Hands-on Curiculum Helps China Improve Elementary and Seconday Education
- Soil-Free Farming Prepares Next Generation for Green Energy Future
- Citizen Air Quality Sensons Cover the Places Governments Can't Reach
- Research and Development
- WGBH: Students Study Urban Ecology
- WCVB: Back to the Farm: Seeding the Future
- Boston Teens Grow Green
- A Gateway to Science
- Something is growing in Uphams Corner
Book Chapters
- Debay, D., Haley, J., & Mark, S., Barnett, M., Anderson, A., Strauss, E., Cotter-Hayes, L., Blustein, D., & Wong, C. (2012). Engaging youth in visualizing sustainable urban plans for their neighborhoods using geographic information systems coupled with computer visualization (p. 477-496). Wals, A., & Corcoran, P. (eds). Learning for Sustainability in Times of Accelerating Change. Springer, NY.
- Barnett, M., MaKinster, J., Trautmann, N., Houle. M., & Mark, S. (2012). Geospatial technologies: The present and future roles of emerging technologies in environmental education (p. 327-344). Stevenson, R., Brody, M. Dillon, J., and Walls, A. (eds). International Handbook of Research on Environmental Education. American Educational Research Association, Washington D.C.
Curriculum Materials and Textbooks
Connolly, K. Jarvin, L, Barnett, M., Rogers, C., Wendell, K. Wright, C., & Marulcu, I (2001) Science through LEGO engineering design: A series of modules. Published on-line
- Sound Unit
- Properties of Materials Unit
- Animal Studies Unit
- Simple Machines
- McNeill, K., Strauss, E., Barnett, M., & Reece, F. (2011). Urban Ecolab. Published on-line
- Link to all modules which is one year of instructional materials: http://urbanecolabcurriculum.com/modules/