Office Location: Reeves Hall
Email: alters@chapman.edu
- Scholarly Works:
- Digital Commons
Biography
- Appointments: Simultaneous international appointments at Chapman, McGill, and Harvard universities.
- President, Board of Directors, National Center for Science Education.
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Biological Science section.
- National Medal -- McNeil Medal – from the Royal Society of Canada (equivalent to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences). Awarded to one individual annually “who has demonstrated outstanding ability to promote and communicate science to students and public nationally.”
- TV Host of a prime-time, nationally-broadcast, commercial television series viewed by millions. Project X, a PBS-like science magazine show with the mandate to educate the public about science, airs on CBC, BBC, and PBS stations.
- Expert Witness in U.S. Federal Trial: Dr. Alters was recruited as one-of-six Expert Witnesses in the largest, most important, and highest profile federal trial on science education in the past quarter-century.
- Endowed Chair: Held an $8 million endowed Chair and project in Science Education, Faculty of Science, McGill University.
- Funding: $3,255,000 funding ($2,035,000 funded as PI in grants, awards, and contracts; and directing an extra $1.25 million.
- Director of three university R&D units.
- Director and Founder, Evolution Education Research Center.
- Teaching & Research Awards: Winner of McGill University’s and Chapman University’s top awards for teaching and research.
- Taught science and education at Chapman, Harvard, and McGill universities -- with his most popular class being at Chapman: The Pursuit of Happiness and Knowledge: Charles Darwin & Walt Disney.
- Publications: In addition to his six books (over $2 million in sales), Dr. Alters has published in the following journals: Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, The American Biology Teacher, The Physics Teacher, Education, Journal of Biological Evolution, The Quarterly Review of Biology, National Association of Biology Teachers’ News and Views, Voices for Evolution, Creation/Evolution, Reports of the National Center for Science Education, Science Activities, PaleoBios, The International Journal of Diversity, International Journal of Learning, International Journal of Science Education, Science and Education, Evolution: Education & Outreach, Interactive Learning Environments, Journal of Biological Education, EDUCAUSE, Nature Ecology & Evolution.
- Talks: Delivered over 300 talks worldwide (e.g., France, Russia, China, Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Russian Pedagogical University, National Academy of Sciences to the AERA, National Institutes of Health, American Society of Human Genetics, Royal Society of Canada.)
- Media: Discussions of Dr. Alters’ work have been reported to tens-of-millions worldwide via thousands of newspaper and magazine articles, and radio and television appearances, including ABC News, BBC, CNN, MSNBC, MTV, The New York Times, Associated Press (AP), The Washington Post, The Guardian (England), The Chronicle of Higher Education, Scientific American, Nature, The Scientist, Interface (French science magazine), Vie Pêdagogique (French education journal), Skeptic (magazine), The Humanist, La Press (French Newspaper), Harvard Crimson (University Newspaper), The Intelligencer, Impact, Science (AAAS), TRENDS in Ecology & Evolution, Evolution, International Journal of Organic Evolution, TRENDS in Genetics, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, various books, and a cover story on Rolling Stone.
- Walt Disney aficionado