
Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction - Science Education
Presidential Doctoral Fellow in Science Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
J.D. Law, Environmental Law Clinic
Rutgers Law School, Newark, NJ
M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Rutgers University, Graduate School, New Brunswick, NJ
B.A. Music, Conc. in Biology
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
As Executive Director of the Council on Science and Technology (CST) at Princeton, Dr. Sami Kahn works to advance the CST’s mission of promoting scientific literacy for all through quality interdisciplinary course development, robust STEM education research, and creative programming. An award-winning STEM educator, teacher educator, and author, she uses her background in science education and law to inform her research and scholarship on inclusive science practices, socioscientific issues (SSI), argumentation, and social justice.
With over thirty years of experience in STEM teaching and learning, Dr. Kahn has authored/co-authored numerous journal articles and four books on enhancing scientific inquiry experiences for learners of all ages. Her recent efforts have included a co-edited/authored book entitled, Towards Inclusion of All Learners Through Science Teacher Education (Brill, 2018) and a sole-authored book entitled, It’s Still Debatable! Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy, K-5 (NSTA Press, 2019) which uses controversial societal issues related to science as the context for developing an informed, participatory, STEM-literate citizenry. Other recent efforts include moderating a New York Times panel on STEM teaching and learning in times of public mistrust, serving as a research mentor to emerging STEM education scholars in Thailand for the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST), and spearheading NSTA’s position statement on gender equity. In addition, Ohio Magazine named her as an Excellence in Education Honoree in recognition of her efforts as a university-level educator.
Prior to coming to Princeton, Dr. Kahn served as Assistant Professor of Science Education at Ohio University (promoted to Associate Professor with tenure), with earlier appointments at Rutgers University, University of South Florida, and Collegiate School in New York City. Dr. Kahn holds an M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Rutgers University, a J.D. in Law from Rutgers School of Law, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Science Education from the University of South Florida where she served as a Presidential Doctoral Fellow.
Selected Publications
Kahn, S. & Lintner, T. (2025). Socioscientific Issues (SSI) as a Framework for Teaching Climate Change. In L. Madden (Ed.), Climate Change Education Across Disciplines K-12: New Jersey and Beyond. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Kahn, S. (2023). Special needs and talents in science learning. In N.G. Lederman, D.L. Zeidler, & J. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Science Education, Vol. III. Mahwah, NJ: Routledge, Taylor and Francis.
Kahn, S. & Lintner, T. (2023). Quality inclusive science and social studies instruction. In C. Thomas & B. Hott (Eds.), Inclusive Instruction and Intervention in Middle and Secondary Education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Kahn, S., Vertesi, J., Adriaenssens, S., Byeon, J. Fixdal, M., Godfrey, K.,...Wagoner, K. (2022). The impact of online STEM teaching and learning during COVID-19 on underrepresented college students’ self-efficacy and motivation. Journal of College Science Teaching, 51(6), 6-15.
Koomen, M. H., Kahn, S., & Shume, T. (2022). Including all learners through science teacher education (p. 363-375). In J. Luft & G. Jones (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Science Teacher Education. Mahwah, Routledge, Taylor, and Francis.
Kahn, S., Agyarko, T., Lanouette, G., Lee, S., & Wiredu, C. (2021). Increasing awareness of inclusive STEM education through a college-level student research group. Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, 24(1)1-18, Art.14
Kahn, S. (2020). No child too young: A teacher research study of socioscientific issues implementation at the elementary level. In Powell, W. (Ed.), Socioscientific Issues-Based Instruction for Scientific Literacy Development. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Kahn, S. (2019). It’s Still Debatable! Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy, K-5. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press
Kahn, S. & Zeidler, D.L. (2019). A conceptual analysis of perspective taking in support of socioscientific reasoning. Science & Education, 28, 605- 638.
Kahn, S. (2018). From access to assets: Strength-based visions for inclusive science education. In Koomen, M.H., Kahn, S., Atchison, C. & Wild, T. (Eds), Towards Inclusion of All Learners Through Science Teacher Education. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Publishers.
Koomen, M.H., Kahn, S., Atchison, C. & Wild, T. (Eds.) (2018). Towards Inclusion of All Learners Through Science Teacher Education. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Publishers
Kahn, S. & Hartman, S. (2018). Debate, dialogue, and democracy through science! Science & Children, 56(2)36-44.
Kahn, S., Hartman, S., Oswald, K., & Samblanet, M. (2018). Promoting “Science for All” Through Teacher Candidate Collaboration and Community Engagement. Innovations in Science Teacher Education, 3(2).
Kahn, S. & Zeidler, D.L. (2017). A case for the use of conceptual analysis in science education research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54(4), 538-551.
Kahn, S., & Zeidler, D. L. (2016). Using our heads and HARTSS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences): Developing perspective-taking skills for socioscientific reasoning. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 27(3), 261-281.