Rebecca W. Keller

Rebecca W. Keller, Ph.D., incorporated Gravitas Publications Inc in 2003 to develop and publish core sciences curriculum under the Real Science-4-Kids imprint.^[1] She has authored and published Real Science-4-Kids student texts, teacher manuals, and student laboratory workbooks in chemistry, biology and physics to serve kindergarten through ninth grade, available through mainstream and home school book distributors.^[2]

Career

Gravitas textbooks are used as home school texts in all 50 states and in six foreign countries, winning a 2008 Readers award from Practical Homeschooling magazine in the category of science-elementary.^[3] More than 30 private and public school systems also use Real Science 4 Kids curricula.

In 2008, Keller wrote and directed the development of a series of interdisciplinary companion texts called Kogs-4-Kids , which show how science is connected closely to all other areas of study and how it affects everyday life. The categories for the Kogs series are: history, language, philosophy, arts, technology, and critical thinking.^[4]

Although professing to be an advocate of “open inquiry” in science, Keller is a proponent of intelligent design.^[5] She has often spoken at intelligent design conferences about and provided testimony for allowing students to “critically evaluate” all scientific data that support and/or oppose scientific conclusions.^[6]

Her view has been summarized in her GravitasGeeks blog as: “In the sciences, let’s teach what we know, and admit what we do not actually know. Let’s train children to explore authentic inquiry, evaluate the evidence, and decide for themselves what conclusions they might draw. There is nothing more important for children studying science than to learn to ask ‘What if?’ and then to be free to follow the data wherever it leads.”^[7]

Background

A former research assistant professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Dr. Rebecca W. Keller worked in the molecular biology field. Her background in biophysics, molecular biology and neuroscience coupled with her love of the dramatic and her doubts about the theory of evolution^[8] led her to prepare interesting “labs” for her children and neighbors. As a home-school mom, she developed Real Science-4-Kids to incorporate intelligent design concepts into a science curriculum that taught solid science concepts in a manner understandable for youngsters.

In 2001 she began to develop a formalized training program to equip non-science teachers (usually other moms) to feel comfortable with the material. Today Real Science-4-Kids is being taught by Christian home-schoolers in 50 states as well as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe, Japan and Korea. Keller’s team continues to develop and test products.^[9]

Books–Textbooks Written

1. Real Science-4-Kids, Kogs-4-Kids, Chemistry Level I Connects to The Arts, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-5-3
2. Real Science-4-Kids, Kogs-4-Kids, Chemistry Level I Connects to Language, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-1-5
3. Real Science-4-Kids, Kogs-4-Kids, Chemistry Level I Connects to Technology, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-8-4
4. Real Science-4-Kids, Kogs-4-Kids, Chemistry Level I Connects to History, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-6-0
5. Real Science-4-Kids, Kogs-4-Kids, Chemistry Level I Connects to Philosophy, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-7-7
6. Real Science-4-Kids, Kogs-4-Kids, Chemistry Level I Connects to Critical Thinking, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-3-9
7. Real Science-4-Kids Biology Pre-Level I, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-0-8
8. Real Science-4-Kids Biology Pre-Level I Laboratory Workbook, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-1-5
9. Real Science-4-Kids Biology Pre- Level I Teacher’s Manual, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9799459-2-2
10. Real Science-4-Kids Biology Level I, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9749149-2-3
11. Real Science-4-Kids Biology Level I Laboratory Workbook, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007.ISBN 9780974914930
12. Real Science-4-Kids Biology Level I Teacher’s Manual, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9749149-9-2
13. Real Science-4-Kids Physics Level I, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9749149-4-7
14. Real Science-4-Kids Physics Level I Laboratory Workbook, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9749149-5-4
15. Real Science-4-Kids Physics Level I Teacher’s Manual, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9749149-7-8
16. Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Pre-Level I, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9765097-0-7
17. Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Pre-Level I Laboratory Workbook, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9765097-1-4
18. Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Pre- Level I Teacher’s Manual, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9765097-2-1
19. Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Level I, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 978-0-9749149-0-9
20. Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Level I Laboratory Workbook, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 978-0-9749149-1-6
21. Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Level I Teacher’s Manual, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 978-0-9749149-8-5
22. Real Science-4-Kids Level I Combined Teacher’s Manual, Gravitas Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 978-0-9749149-6-1

Articles–Scientific Journals

• Bustamante, C., Vesenka, J., Tang, C.L., Rees, W.A., Guthold, M., and Keller, R.W., Circular DNA Molecules Imaged in Air by Scanning Force Microscopy. Biochemistry, 31 22-26 (1992).
• Keller, D, Bustamante, C., and Keller, R.W., Imaging of Single Uncoated DNA Molecules by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 86, 5356-5360 (1989).
• Keller, R.W., Dunlap, D.D., Bustamante, C., Keller, D.J., Garcia, R.G. Gray, C. and Maestre, M.F., Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Images of Metal-Coated Bacteriophages and Uncoated Double-Stranded DNA., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A8 (1), 706-712 (1990).
• Keller, R.W., Bear, D., and Bustamante, C., A method for Imaging E.coli RNA polymerase with the Scanning Tunneling Microscope in an Aqueous Environment. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 9(2), 1291–1299 (1991).
• Keller, R.W., Keller, D.J., Bear, D., Vasenka, J., and Bustamante, C., Electrodeposition Procedure of E. coli RNA polymerase onto Gold and Deposition of E. coli RNA polymerase onto Mica for Observation with Scanning Force Microscopy, Ultramicroscopy 42, 1173–1180 (1992).
• Keller, R. W. Kuehn, U., Aragon, M., Bornikova, L, Wahle, E. and Bear, D.G. The Nuclear Poly (A) Binding Protein, PABP2, Forms an Oligomeric Particle Covering the Length of the Poly(A)Tail .J. Mol. Biol., 297 569-583 (2000)
• Postow, L, Ullsperger, C., Keller, R.W., Bustamante, C., Vologodskii, A, and Cozzarelli, N.R.Positive Torsional Strain Causes the Formation of a Four-way Junction at Replication Forks, J.Biol. Chem. Oct 30, manuscript number M006736200 (2000)
• Rees, W.A., Keller, R.W., Vesenka, J., Guoling, Y., and Bustamante, C. Scanning Force Microscopy Imaging of Transcription Complexes: Evidence of DNA Bending in Open Promoter and Elongation Complexes Science 260 1646–1649 (1993).

Education

1985 BS Chemistry, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
1992 PhD Biophysical Chemistry, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
1994–1998 Post-Doc Molecular Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
1998–1999 Post-Doc Molecular Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Related Work and Service

• Columbia, South Carolina January 23, 2006

Was invited by Senator Mike Fair to testify before the Education Oversight Committee in favor of language to allow students to “critically evaluate” all scientific data.

• Santa Fe, New Mexico August 29, 2003

Member of the Framework Committee and Writing Team for revision of the 2003 New Mexico Science Standards. Presented before Education Department in favor of the revised New Mexico State Science Standards.^[10]

• Socorro, New Mexico 1995–2001

Judge and Chairman, Junior Microbiology Division, New Mexico State Science Fair

Related Web Sites and Blogs

• Gravitas Publications
• Gravitas Home School
• Gravitas Geeks

References