Members of the Data Puzzles CEEE team have published a new paper in The Science Teacher, part of the National Science Teaching Association’s (NSTA) special issue on “Data Science for Science Education.” The article, From Puzzles to Discovery: Building Students’ Data Sensemaking Skills Through Authentic Science Investigations, highlights innovative approaches for engaging students in data-driven scientific reasoning and sensemaking, offering educators practical strategies for bringing authentic data science experiences into the classroom.

The paper explores how thoughtfully designed data puzzles can support students in asking questions, identifying patterns, and developing explanations using real-world datasets. By centering data as a tool for inquiry rather than a final product, the work contributes to a growing conversation about how data science can strengthen science education and better prepare students to engage with complex environmental and societal challenges.

A big shout out to Jonathan Griffith, Ami Nacu-Schmidt, Alyse Thurber, and Anne Gold for their collaboration and contributions in making this publication possible. Their efforts helped bring this work to life and ensured it would reach educators nationwide through this special issue. 

The full paper is available through NSTA and can be accessed via The Science Teacher on Taylor & Francis Online.