Ross Nehm, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Contact Info

E-mail: nehm.1@osu.edu
Office: 288 Arps Hall
Phone: (614) 688-5373
Fax: (614) 755-4241

Mailing Address

1945 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43210-1172

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Ed.M., Columbia University
B.S., University of Wisconsin, Madison
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Science Foundation

Research Biography

Prof. Nehm's science learning research has addressed: scientific thinking and problem solving; knowledge measurement and assessment; science misconceptions and conceptual change; multicultural science education; science textbooks and knowledge representation; and evolution education. His biology research focuses on morphological evolution, specifically macroevolution and development. Prof. Nehm also holds a faculty appointment in the EEOB department. More information on his research may be found at http://www.nehmlab.org.

Activities and Honors

National Academy of Sciences Fellow in the Life Sciences
National Science Foundation CAREER Award
City College of New York Faculty Mentoring Award
Outstanding Instructor, Department of Integrative Biology, UC-Berkeley
Chancellor's Academic Excellence Award (Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis)
Chair, NSF TUES Research and Assessment panel
NARST Outstanding Doctoral Research Award Committee

Selected Grants History

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. Principal Investigator. REESE. Transforming STEM assessment methodologies: Research on cyber-enabled measurement of cognitive models of natural selection (2009-2012).
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. Principal Investigator (OSU). CCLI: Collaborative Research: Educational assessment tools for genomics and bioinformatics education (2009-2013).
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. Principal Investigator (OSU). TUES: Collaborative Research: Automated Analysis of Constructed Response Concept Inventories to Reveal Student Thinking: Forging a National Network for Innovative Assessment Methods (2010-2012).
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. Principal Investigator. CAREER: Integrating science research on the Neogene of the Dominican Republic with the science education of Dominican American teachers and students in New York City (2003-2010).
TeLR: Principal Investigator Transforming assessment at OSU (2009).
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. Principal Investigator. International Postdoctoral Fellowship, International Division. Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Switzerland (1999-2000).
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. Principal Investigator. Division of Systematic Biology. The Neogene mass extinction in the western Atlantic: Determining the influence of methodology on patterns of extinction and faunal turnover. (1995-1998).

Selected Publications

Nehm, R.H., Ridgway, J. (in press). What do experts and novices “see” in evolutionary problems? Evolution Education and Outreach
Ha, M., Haury, D., Nehm, R.H. (in press). Feeling of certainty: uncovering a missing link between knowledge and acceptance of evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching.
Haury, D., Nehm, R.H. (in press). The global challenge of genomics education: A path to the future. In K. E. Nelson (Ed.). Genomics applications and the developing world. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Ha, M., Nehm, R.H, Urban-Lurain, M., Merrill, J. (in press). Applying Computerized Scoring Models of Written Biological Explanations across Courses and Colleges: Prospects and Limitations. CBE-Life Sciences Education.
Nehm, R.H., Beggrow, E., Opfer, J., Ha, M. (in press). Reasoning About Natural Selection: Diagnosing Contextual Competency Using the ACORNS Instrument. The American Biology Teacher.
Nehm, R.H., Ha, M., Mayfield, E. (in press). Transforming Biology Assessment with Machine Learning: Automated Scoring of Written Evolutionary Explanations. Journal of Science Education and Technology. DOI: 10.1007/s10956-011-9300-9
Nehm, R.H., Haertig, H. (2011). Human vs. Computer Diagnosis of Students' Natural Selection Knowledge: Testing the Efficacy of Text Analytic Software. Journal of Science Education and Technology. DOI: 10.1007/s10956-011-9282-7
Neumann, I., Neumann, K., Nehm, R.H. (2011). Evaluating instrument quality in science education: Rasch-based analyses of a Nature of Science Test. International Journal of Science Education. 33(10): 1373-1405
Nehm, R.H., Ha, M. (2011). Item feature effects in evolution assessment. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 48(3): 237–256.
Kim, S., Nehm, R.H. (2011). A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Korean and American Science Teachers' Views of Evolution and the Nature of Science. International Journal of Science Education. 33(2):197-227
Nehm, R.H., Rector, M., Ha, M. (2010). "Force Talk" in Evolutionary Explanation: Metaphors and Misconceptions. Evolution Education and Outreach, (3): 506-613,
Nehm, R.H. (2010). Understanding undergraduates' problem solving processes. Journal of Biology and Microbiology Education. 11(2): 119-122.
Nehm, R.H., Schonfeld, I. (2010). The future of natural selection knowledge measurement. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 47(3), 358-362.
Nehm, R.H., Kim, S., Sheppard, I. (2009). Academic Preparation in Biology and Advocacy for Teaching Evolution: Biology versus Non-Biology Teachers. Science Education 93(6), 1122 - 1146.
Nehm, R.H. et al. (2009). Does the Segregation of Evolution in Biology Textbooks and Introductory Courses Reinforce Students' Faulty Mental Models of Biology and Evolution? Evolution Education and Outreach 2:527–532.
Nehm, R.H., Budd, A. F. (Eds.) (2008). Evolutionary Stasis and Change in the Dominican Republic Neogene. New York: Springer, 315 p. (Book).
Nehm, R.H., Young, R. (2008). "Sex Hormones" in Secondary School Biology Textbooks. Science & Education, 17:1175–1190
Nehm, R.H., Schonfeld, I. (2008). Measuring knowledge of natural selection: a comparison of the CINS, and open-response instrument, and oral interview. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(10): 1131-1160.
Nehm, R.H., Schonfeld, I. (2007). Does increasing biology teacher knowledge about evolution and the nature of science lead to greater advocacy for teaching evolution in schools? Journal of Science Teacher Education, 18(5): 699-723.
Nehm, R.H., Reilly, L. (2007). Biology majors' knowledge and misconceptions of natural selection. Bioscience, 57(3): 263-272.
Nehm, R.H. (2007). Teaching evolution and the nature of science. Focus on Microbiology Education, 13(3): 5-9.
Hoskins, S.G., Stevens, L., Nehm, R.H. (2007). Selective Use of the Primary Literature Transforms the Classroom Into a Virtual Laboratory. Genetics, 176: 1381-1389.

For publications prior to 2007, see www.nehmlab.org.

School of Teaching and Learning