NABT Appoints Dr. William McComas as Editor for The American Biology Teacher

February 28, 2017 | by

The National Association Of Biology Teachers Appoints New Editor

William F. McComas named new editor of the award-winning journal,

The American Biology Teacher.

Reston, VA - The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) is proud to announce that Dr. William F. McComas has become the new editor of the association’s journal, The American Biology Teacher. Dr. McComas begins his five-year term as editor on the retirement of Dr. William Leonard who has served with distinction since 2009.

“We are very excited to have William McComas at the helm of the ABT. His scholarship, extensive experience with academic publishing, and most importantly, his vision for the journal, all make him well suited for this role,” said Jaclyn Reeves-Pepin, Executive Director of NABT. “We look forward to seeing the ABT continue as the premier journal for biology and life science teachers under Bill’s stewardship.”

William F. McComas Ph.D. holds the Parks Family Endowed Professorship in Science Education at the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions, a position he assumed after a career as a biology and physical science teacher in suburban Philadelphia and professorship at University of Southern California.

McComas has served in leadership roles with the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group, and the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE). McComas is a recipient of the Outstanding Evolution Educator and Research in Biology Teaching awards from NABT, the Ohaus award for Innovations in College Science Teaching and the ASTE Outstanding Science Teacher Educator award. He has written and edited several books including The Nature of Science in Science Education: Rationales and Strategies and the Language of Science Education, numerous book chapters and articles. He has given more than 100 keynote speeches, workshops and presentations at public events and professional meetings in the U.S. and in more than a dozen other countries. Most recently, he was a Fulbright Fellow at CASTeL, the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning at Dublin City University, Ireland.

As long time member of NABT and frequent contributor to the ABT, McComas is familiar with the components that make the journal a powerful resource for classroom educators. He also recognizes emerging areas where the ABT can evolve and improve. McComas will usher in a number of changes to the publication, including an online submission platform for manuscripts and a web-based version of the ABT available in late 2014.

“I am delighted to be a part of the ABT team, and appreciate the confidence expressed in me by the members of the NABT Board and Executive Director," said William McComas. "As a teacher I looked forward to receiving the Journal and used it frequently to guide my classroom practice. As a university science educator, The American Biology Teacher has been an important outlet for many of my scholarly contributions and photographs. I am therefore very pleased to find myself in this new role and look forward to it with excitement and anticipation. The journal belongs to the members of the National Association of Biology Teachers and I look forward to working with readers and authors alike to build on the past 75 years of successful publication and move forward together to build the ABT of the future.”

Look for future announcements about The American Biology Teacher at www.NABT.org/publications/ # # #

About NABT: Since being established in 1938, the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) has been the recognized "leader in life science education." Thousands of educators have joined NABT to share experiences and expertise with colleagues from around the globe; keep up with trends and developments in the field; and grow professionally. For more information about NABT, please visit www.nabt.org.