Leah M. Melber, Ph.D. has nearly 20 years experience within informal and formal science education. She holds a BA in Zoology, an MA in education together with a multiple subject teaching credential for the state of California, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Southern California. She has presented widely on inquiry-based instruction and effective methods of connecting with cultural institutions such as museums. In addition to numerous journal articles she has written on this topic, she has recently published a book titled Informal Learning and Field Trips . She was