Peter A. Daempfle (born 1970) is an American educator and author in the field of

popular science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

. He currently teaches biology at

SUNY Delhi The State University of New York at Delhi (SUNY Delhi or Delhi State College) is a public college in Delhi, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Over 3,000 students attend the institution. SUNY Delhi offers ...

Biography

Early life and education

Daempfle was born in

Ridgewood, Queens Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Queens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Queens, Middle Village and Glendale, Queens, Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn ...

, New York, May 5. 1970, a child of German refugees. He was class

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...

at Forest Hills High School in 1988. He earned a B.A. in Biology from

Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the Seminary moved to expand into a ...

, an M.S. in Biology from

University at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

, an M.S. in Education from

The College of Saint Rose The College of Saint Rose is a private Roman Catholic college in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1920 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as a women's college. It became fully co-educational in 1969; the following year, the college ad ...

, and a Ph.D. in Biology Education from

Career

From 2001–2009 he was a science advisor to the George W. Bush Administration's

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based educati ...

(NCLB). He is known for publications in science and on studying the high school-college science "divide." Daempfle has authored numerous books and articles. He is notable for college biology textbooks and books about science in the popular culture.

Skepticism

Daempfle is the author of ''Good Science, Bad Science, Pseudoscience, and Just Plain Bunk: How to Tell the Difference'' (2013).Keenan, D. S. (2015). ''Book Review of Good Science, Bad Science, Pseudoscience, and Just Plain Bunk: How to Tell the Difference''. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice 16: 615–622.

Book Publications

*''Science and Society: Scientific Thought and Education for the 21st Century'', 1st ed. (2012)

Jones and Bartlett Learning Jones & Bartlett Learning, a division of Ascend Learning, is a scholarly publisher. The name comes from Donald W. Jones, the company's founder, and Arthur Bartlett, the first editor. History In 1988, the company was named by ''New England Busines ...

: Burlington, MA. *''Good Science, Bad Science, Pseudoscience, and Just Plain Bunk: How to Tell the Difference''. 1st ed. (2013)

Rowman and Littlefield Publishers Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing comp ...

, MD. *''Essential Biology'', 1st ed. (2016), Kendall/Hunt Publishers.

Research Articles

*''Faculty Assumptions about the Student Characteristics Required for Success in Introductory College Biology''. Bioscene, v. 28 n. 4 pp. 19–33 Dec 2002 *''An Analysis of the High Attrition Rates among First Year College Science, Math, and Engineering Majors''. Journal of College Student Retention, v. 5 n. 1 pp. 37–52 2003–2004 *''The Effects of Instructional Approaches on the Improvement of Reasoning in Introductory College Biology: A Quantitative Review of Research''. Bioscene, v. 32 n. 4 pp. 22–31 Dec 2006

References

External links

Peter Daempfle Interviewed on the Importance of Science and Education
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daempfle, Peter 1970 births American skeptics Hartwick College alumni Living people State University of New York at Delhi faculty College of Saint Rose alumni University at Albany, SUNY alumni Forest Hills High School (New York) alumni People from Ridgewood, Queens