Presentations

K. Kampourakis & L. Tournayre (September, 2025) The racist origins of “admixture”: Why the history of concepts matters. Conference: “The African Genome at the Disciplinary Crossroads: how to widen the scope of genomics’ methods across the humanities and social sciences” University of Basel.

K. Kampourakis (June, 2025) Why does it matter that most biology concepts are metaphors? 5èmes Conférences Jean Piaget: Développement, apprentissage et enseignement. University of Geneva (YouTube link)

K. Kampourakis (June, 2025) Is teleology an obstacle to laypeople’s understanding of evolution? Workshop: Teleology and Values in Biological Knowledge: From Aristotle to Today. Department of Philosophy, University of Geneva

K. Kampourakis (May, 2025) Αποδομώντας το μύθο της γενετικής ιδιαιτερότητας των εθνών (Deconstructing the myth of the genetic uniqueness of nations). Μεταπτυχιακό Πρόγραμμα «ΠΝΥΚΑ: Πολιτική Ιστορία, Θεωρία και Πράξη» ΑνοικτόΠανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου (ΑΠΚΥ).

K. Kampourakis (November, 2024) Teaching School Genetics in the 2020s: Why naïve Mendelian genetics has to go. NARST Webinar. YouTube link.

K. Kampourakis (October, 2024) Contribution to the workshop: “The Theory of Genetics: Articulating and Formalizing Theories of Biological Information”. Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, USA

K. Kampourakis (June, 2024) Teaching school genetics in the 2020s: Why naïve Mendelian genetics has to go. Evolution and Genetics Education Workshop. Karlstad, Sweden

K. Kampourakis (March, 2024) Σχέδιο και σκοπός στη φύση: Τελολογικές εξηγήσεις και λειτουργικότητα. (Plan and purpose in nature : Teleological explanations and functionality). MA Animal Welfare, Ethics and the Law. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (webinar)

K. Kampourakis (November, 2023) Ancestry, Race and Ethnicity: What does DNA have to do with them? Course CLAS 3205: What Is Race? Perspectives From Antiquity To The Present. Ohio State University (webinar).

K. Kampourakis (November, 2023) Ancestry, Race and Ethnicity: What does DNA have to do with them? Course EEB 305: Evolution and Society University of Tennessee, Knoxville (webinar).

K. Kampourakis (June, 2023) Uncertainty: Why it is inherent in science. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile (webinar).

K. Kampourakis (May, 2023) Finding meaning in our ancestry testing . Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County, Connecticut (webinar).

K. Kampourakis (March, 2023) Understanding Life: Evolution and Genes. Cambridge Science Festival, Cambridge. blog post  YouTube Link

K. Kampourakis (February, 2023) Ancestry Reimagined: Dismantling the Myth of Genetic Ethnicities. Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (webinar). YouTube Link

K. Kampourakis (January, 2023) Ancestry Reimagined: Dismantling the Myth of Genetic Ethnicities. HistoGenes Group (webinar).

K. Kampourakis (November-December, 2022) Philosophy of Science for Science Teachers. Seminar series, College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University. L1  L2  L3 L4

K. Kampourakis (October, 2022). Getting Mendel right: Why the stereotypical account of mendelian genetics distorts both science and history. KLI Mendel Symposium: Mendel’s Legacy In Science and Society, KLI, Klosterneuburg, Austria. YouTube Link

K. Kampourakis (July, 2022). The mendelian gene. Mendel @ 200 Conference. MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. YouTube Link

K. Kampourakis (June, 2022). Teaching about concepts: Some considerations on conceptual variation and their metaphorical nature. Graduate Seminar,Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso.

K. Kampourakis (June, 2022). “Let’s write a paper: The difficulties in writing scientific papers and getting them published («Να γράψουμε ένα paper”: Οι δυσκολίες στη συγγραφή και δημοσίευση επιστημονικών εργασιών). Master Course Seminar, Department of Primary Education, University of Athens, Greece.

K. Kampourakis (May, 2022). The acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory in Switzerland: can teacher education address the challenges? KEYNOTE talk for the 2022 Swiss Science Education Association Conference, Saint Gallen, Switzerland.

K. Kampourakis (May, 2022). What are genes anyway? ( Τι είναι τελικά τα γονίδια; ). Master Course SeminarDepartment of Biology, University of Patras, Greece.

K. Kampourakis (April, 2022). Students’ “teleological misconceptions” in evolution education: Why the underlying design stance, not teleology per se, is the problem. History, Philosophy and Biology Teaching Lab (LEFHBIO) Seminars, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. YouTube Link

K. Kampourakis (February, 2022) Reconsidering the goals of evolution education: defining evolution and evolutionary literacy. NARST Presidential Webinar. You Tube Link

K. Kampourakis (December, 2021). Concept analysis: theoretical and empirical perspectives. Philosophy and Science Symposium at the Section of Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

U. Harms, J. González, S. Zurita, K. Kampourakis, D. Eirdosh (November, 2021).PLENARY round table: “Challenges and opportunities to improve scientific literacy on evolution through formal or informal education”, 2021 Evolutionary Knowledge for Everyone (EvoKE) Conference, Barcelona, Spain. YouTube link

K. Kampourakis (November, 2021). Reconsidering the goal of evolution education: Is it evolution or evolutionary literacy? KEYNOTE talk, 2021 Evolutionary Knowledge for Everyone (EvoKE) Conference, Barcelona, Spain.

K. Kampourakis (October, 2021). Students’ “teleological misconceptions” in evolution education: Why the underlying design stance, not teleology per se, is the problem. Seminários GHTC 30 anos, Grupo de História, Teoria e Ensino de Ciências. YouTube link

K. Kampourakis (July 2021) Charles Darwin’s Conceptual Change: From Natural Theology to Natural Selection. Department of Genetics And Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of São Paulo. YouTube link

K. Kampourakis (June 2021) What is the teachers’ goal when teaching evolution? Defining evolution and evolutionary literacy for science education. Future Directions in Evolution Education Workshop, organized by Weizmann Institute of Science, IPN Kiel and University of Geneva

K. Kampourakis (April 2021) Teaching about Concepts: Some Considerations on Conceptual Variation and their Metaphorical Nature. Graduate Seminar,Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

K. Kampourakis (April 2021) Going beyond content knowledge: Addressing students’ preconceptions to achieve conceptual understanding in undergraduate biology. Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching of Life Sciences – Webinar series, Life Sciences Switzerland (LS2), Geneva, Switzerland Unige Link

K. Kampourakis (February 2021) Understanding evolution. Month of Evolution, Boğaziçi University Science Club Tree of Evolution Committee, Istanbul, Turkey  YouTube link

K. Kampourakis (February 2021) Science, uncertainty, and scientific understanding: reconceptualizing scientific literacy for the post-COVID-19 era. 2020 IOSTE Symposium: Transforming Science & Technology Education to Cultivate Participatory Citizens. Daegu, Korea YouTube link

K. Kampourakis (January 2021) Understanding genes. Seminar on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetics. Center for Research on Ethical, Legal & Social Implications of Psychiatric, Neurologic & Behavioral Genetics (NHGRI). Columbia University, New York

K. Kampourakis (December 2020) Reconceptualizing scientific literacy for the post-pandemic era: Lessons Learned During COVID-19. Symposium on the History, Philosophy & Sociology of School Biology, DCU Institute of Education, Dublin City University, Dublin

K. Kampourakis (July 2020) Teaching about the nature of scientific understanding: uncertainty, explanation, and four crucial kinds of literacy. Seminar, Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang, China

K. Kampourakis (August 2019) Participation as the Editor-in-Chief of Science & Education in the invited round table symposium Science Education Journals. 2019 ESERA Conference, Bologna, Italy

K. Kampourakis (July 2019) Understanding genes in the postgenomic era. Future Directions in Genetics Education, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

K. Kampourakis, F. Stern, M. Delaval, A. Müller (July 2019) Measuring students’ teleological and essentialist conceptions in the context of genetics. Future Directions in Genetics Education, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

K. Kampourakis (March 2019) Understanding evolution: Is teleology a problem? Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Akademie Sankelmark, Germany

K. Kampourakis (December 2018) Teaching about genes in the postgenomic era: Are we still in Mendel and the 19^thcentury? (Διδάσκοντας για τα γονίδια στη μεταγονιδιωματική εποχή: μήπως έχουμε μείνει στο Μέντελ και το 19^ο αιώνα;). “Biology for Critically Thinking Citizens” Conference, Department of Education, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

K. Kampourakis, J. Dillon (September 2018) Publishing in science education journals.Seminar for Doctoral Students, Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter UK

G. Jekely, K. Kampourakis, S. Müller-Wille, R. Schnabel, I. Gudelj (September 2018) Did Mendel get it wrong? Teaching genetics in the postgenomic age. Panel Discussion, Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter UK

K. Kampourakis (March, 2018) Making sense of genes. Cambridge Science Festival, Cambridge, UK

K. Kampourakis (March 2018) Participation as the Editor-in-Chief of Science & Education in the Symposium – How to Get Your Research Published in Science Education Journals. 2018 NARST International Annual Conference, Atlanta, USA

K. Kampourakis (March 2018) Participation as the Editor-in-Chief of Science & Education in the Presidential Sponsored Symposium: Data Sharing and Research Transparency at the Article Publishing Stage: Advantages and Limitations. 2018 NARST International Annual Conference, Atlanta, USA

K. Kampourakis, Agustin Aduriz-Bravo, Igal Galili, Irene Neumann, Carl-Johan Rundgren (August, 2017) Symposium – Science & Education: Science education informed by history, philosophy and sociology of science. 12th ESERA Conference, Dublin, Ireland

K. Kampourakis (June, 2017) Beyond the “science-religion wars”: The design stance and the counter-intuitiveness of evolution. New Perspectives on Science and Religion in Society Conference, Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum Project, Manchester, UK

K. Kampourakis (November 2016) Making sense of genes: where has science education gone wrong? Kolloquium Lehr- und Lern-Forschung und Fachdidaktik, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

K. Kampourakis (July, 2016) What can the history and philosophy of science contribute to science education? Swiss Doctoral School for Science Education, Swiss Science Education Association, Lucerne, Switzerland

K. Kampourakis, F. Stern, B. J. Strasser & A. Müller (June, 2016) Genetic determinism, human intuitions, and genetics literacy. International Workshop: Future Directions in Genetics Education, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

K. Kampourakis, (March, 2016) Plan and purpose in nature: an interdisciplinary analysis of teleological conceptions. Conference “Interdisciplinary Experience and Learning”, Department of Preschool Education Sciences and Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of Aegean, Rhodes, Greece

N. Gericke, E. Kaya, R. Nehm, A. Wong, K. Kampourakis, (September, 2015) Symposium – Science & Education: Science education in the light of history, philosophy and sociology of science. 11th ESERA Conference, Helsinki, Finland

B.J. Strasser, K. Kampourakis (June 2015). Growing a new tree of life: Visual representations of macroevolution in education and public communication. Volkswagen Symposium “Labels, Catalogues and Architectures: The Art and Science of Modern Systematics”, Organized by Staffan Müller-Wille, University of Exeter, and Michael Ohl, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Hannover, Germany

K. Kampourakis (May, 2015). Que doivent savoir les futurs citoyens sur la science? Conférence / table ronde : Objectif Sciences : lancement du plan d’action mathématiques et sciences de la nature (MSN). Département de l’instruction publique, de la culture et du sport, Directions générales de l’enseignement obligatoire et de l’enseignement secondaire II, Geneva, Switzerland

K. Kampourakis (November, 2014). What “should” we teach about nature of science? : The “lists” and their critics. 8th Hellenic Conference of History, Philosophy 
& Science Teaching
”The Contribution of History & Philosophy of Science in Teaching and Public Understanding of Science”, University of Patras, Patras, Greece

K. Kampourakis (October, 2014). Teaching for conceptual change in evolution. Facultad de Filosofia y Humanidades, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile

K. Kampourakis (October, 2014). Teaching about biological concepts in the context of history and philosophy of science: “adaptation” and “gene”. Instituto de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile

K. Kampourakis (October, 2014). Teaching science and nature of science. Instituto de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Santiago, Chile

K. Kampourakis (May, 2014). That Mendel was a pioneer of genetics, being ahead of his time. “Newton’s Apple and other Historical Myths about Science” conference, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, USA

K. Kampourakis (December, 2013). Teaching biology in the post-genomic era: evolution, genetics and nature of science. “Biology in Education” conference, organized by the Panhellenic Union of Bioscientists and the Departments of Biology, Primary Education and Early Childhood Education, University of Athens, Greece

K. Kampourakis (July, 2012). Conceptual change in history of science and science education: the case of evolutionary theory. School of Teaching and Learning, Ohio State University, Columbus OH, USA

K. Kampourakis (July, 2012). The nature of teacher education and science education in Greece: challenges and obstacles. Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago IL, USA

K. Kampourakis (June, 2012). “Why do birds have wings?” Teleology as a conceptual obstacle to understanding evolution. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign IL, USA

K. Kampourakis (June, 2012). “Why do birds have wings?” Teleology as a conceptual obstacle to understanding evolution. Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago IL, USA

K. Kampourakis (June, 2012). Using history of science to teach nature of science. Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago IL, USA

K. Kampourakis (June, 2012). Contemporary philosophy of science and how it relates to Nature of Science. Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago IL, USA

K. Kampourakis (November, 2009). Teaching evolution in secondary education: theoretical and pedagogical issues. Darwin Now Conference: Darwin’s Living Legacy, British Council & Alexandria Library, Alexandria, Egypt

K. Kampourakis (July 2025) Should we give peas  a chance? Teaching Mendel and Punnett squares in the light of the New Biology. ISHPSSB 2025 conference, Porto, Portugal.

K. Kampourakis (March 2025) How we get Mendel wrong and why it matters: Replacing “naïve” Mendelian genetics with heredity in school teaching. 2025 NARST International Annual Conference, Washington DC, USA.

K. Kampourakis (March 2025) Discussant in the symposium “Uncertainty in Science Education: Shaping a Research Agenda for an Emerging Field”. 2025 NARST International Annual Conference, Washington DC, USA.

K. Kampourakis (July 2024) Science distrust and epistemic uncertainty as a learning goal. 2024 ERIDOB Conference, Lyon, France.

F. Stern, P. Stasinakis, A. Krimitzas, G. Verroios, K. Gioti, A. Müller, K. Kampourakis (July 2024) Greek secondary school students’ teleology and essentialism conceptions about genes. 2024 ERIDOB Conference, Lyon, France.

F. Stern, P. Stasinakis, A. Krimitzas, G. Verroios, K. Gioti, A. Müller, K. Kampourakis (March 2024) Greek secondary school students’ teleology and essentialism conceptions about genes. 2024 NARST International Annual Conference, Denver, USA

K. Kampourakis (April 2023) Teaching about the structure of evolutionary and developmental explanations in secondary schools. 2023 NARST International Annual Conference, Chicago, USA

G. Stylianides, K. Burn, S. Erduran, K. Skilling, I. Thompson, K. Kampourakis (September 2021) Symposium: Deep learning in the sciences. BERA Annual Conference 2021, UK.

Stern, K. Kampourakis, A. Müller (August 2021) Secondary school students’ teleology and essentialism conceptions about genes. ESERA 2021 Conference: Fostering Scientific Citizenship in an Uncertain World, Lisbon, Portugal.

K. Kampourakis, B. Donovan (January 2021) DNA ancestry tests and inferences about ethnicity: The problem of psychological essentialism. Ancestry: Evidence, Inference, and Identity Conference, The Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh

F. Stern, M. Delaval, K. Kampourakis, A. Müller (March 2020) Measuring students’ teleological and essentialist conceptions in the context of genetics: A comparison of explicit and implicit measures. 2020 NARST International Annual Conference, Portland, USA (presented online due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: 2020 03 NARST STERN KAMPOURAKIS DELAVAL MULLER).

K. Kampourakis (August 2019) Reconsidering the meaning of concepts in biology education. 2019 ESERA Conference, Bologna, Italy

F. Stern, K. Kampourakis, M. Delaval, A. Müller (August 2019) Upper secondary school students’ implicit associations of genetics and teleological conceptions. 2019 ESERA Conference, Bologna, Italy

K. Kampourakis (July 2019) Supporting science teachers’ nature of science understandings through a specially developed philosophy of science course. IHPST 2019 Conference, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

K. Kampourakis, F. Stern, A. Müller (July 2018) Students’ implicit associations between genetics concepts and essentialist/teleological intuitions. Twelfth ERIDOB Conference, University of Zaragoza, Spain

K. Kampourakis, J.S. Lederman, N.G. Lederman, F.Abd-El-Khalick, M. Clough, W.F. McComas, S. Erduran, E. Kaya, B. Aksoz, S. Akgun (March 2018) Symposium – Practical Perspectives in Teaching and Learning Nature of Science. 2018 NARST International Annual Conference, Atlanta, USA

L.A. Borgerding, H. Deniz, S.B. Boujaoude, P.J. Friedrichsen, K.E. Fouad, A. Glaze, K. Kampourakis, K. Osman, A. Rachmatullah, M. Sanders (March 2018) Symposium – Evolution Education Around the Globe. 2018 NARST International Annual Conference, Atlanta, USA

F. Stern, K. Kampourakis, A. Müller (March 2018) Genetic Determinism, Teleology and Essentialism: A Detailed Look at Secondary Students’ Conceptions. 2018 NARST International Annual Conference, Atlanta, USA

F. Stern, K. Kampourakis, P. Silveira, A. Müller (August, 2017) Undergraduate biology students’ teleological and essentialist preconceptions: Are they related? 12th ESERA Conference, Dublin, Ireland

K. Kampourakis, K. McCain (August, 2016) Believe in, believe about: which questions do polls about evolution really ask and why does it matter? 1st European IHPST Regional Conference “Science as Culture in the European Context: Historical, Philosophical, and Educational Perspectives”, Flensburg, Germany

G. Kelly, N. Lederman, W.F. McComas, I. Neumann, A. Wong, K. Kampourakis, (April, 2016) Symposium – Nature of Science in the Next Generation Science Standards: Translating recommendations into practice. 2015 NARST Annual International Conference, Baltimore, USA

K. Kampourakis (January 2016). L’enseignement des aspects généraux de la nature de la science et la culture scientifique. 9e Forum Suisse de Didactiques des Sciences Naturelles, Haute Ecole Pédagogique Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

K. Kampourakis (April, 2015) How do pre-service biology teachers explain the origin of biological traits? : A philosophical analysis. 2015 NARST Annual International Conference, Chicago, USA

M.R. Matthews, J.F. Osborne, N.G. Lederman, F. Abd-El-Khalick, M.P. Clough, K. Kampourakis, M.U. Smith, G.J. Kelly, S.A. Southerland, E.E. Peters-Burton, W. Sherman-Heckler (April, 2015) Symposium – The past, present and possible future of HPS-informed science education research. 2015 NARST Annual International Conference, Chicago, USA

K. Kampourakis and Bruno J. Strasser (April, 2014) Naive genetic determinism and genetics/genomics literacy: do human intuitions have an impact? 2014 NARST Annual International Conference, Pittsburgh, USA

K. Kampourakis (July, 2013) History and philosophy of science and how they relate to science education: teaching for conceptual change in evolutionary theory. ISHPSSB 2013 Conference, July 7-12, 2013, Montpellier, France

I. Brigandt, R. Burian, D. Depew, A Jamieson, A. Love, A. Plutynski, M. Ruse, T. Uller, T. Reydon and K. Kampourakis (July, 2013) Philosophy of biology and biology education (round table) ISHPSSB 2013 Conference, July 7-12, 2013, Montpellier, France

K. Kampourakis, N.G. Lederman, J.S. Lederman and J.P. Jimenez (April, 2013) The influence of a philosophy of science course on teachers’ views of Scientific Inquiry and Nature of Scientific Knowledge. 2013 NARST Annual International Conference, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

K. Kampourakis (July, 2011). Teaching genetics and the nature of science. 11th International History, Philosophy, & Science Teaching (IHPST) Conference, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece

K. Kampourakis (July, 2011). Children’s intuitive teleology: how the philosophy of science may inform conceptual development research 11th International History, Philosophy, & Science Teaching (IHPST) Conference, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece

K. Kampourakis (June, 2009). What is adaptation and what to teach about it? 10th International History, Philosophy, & Science Teaching (IHPST) Conference, University of Notre Dame, USA

K. Kampourakis, W.F. McComas (June, 2009). Charles Darwin and the human elements of science. 10th International History, Philosophy, & Science Teaching (IHPST) Conference, University of Notre Dame, USA

K. Kampourakis, V. Zogza (June, 2007). Preliminary evolutionary explanations: a minimal framework for explanatory coherence in middle school and a basis for future evolution instruction. 9th International History, Philosophy, & Science Teaching (IHPST) Conference – Contextual approaches to science and mathematics teaching, University of Calgary, Canada

K. Kampourakis, C. Gripiotis (June, 2007). Darwinism in context: a course on the nature of science. 9th International History, Philosophy, & Science Teaching (IHPST) Conference – Contextual approaches to science and mathematics teaching, University of Calgary, Canada

K. Kampourakis, V. Zogza (September, 2006). Students’ preconceptions about evolution: a study of explanatory coherence. 6th European Researchers In the Didactics of Biology (ERIDOB) Conference, University of London, UK

K. Kampourakis, V. Zogza (July, 2005). Students’ preconceptions about evolution: comments on the accuracy of characterization “Lamarckian” in connection with the history of evolutionary thought. 8th International History, Philosophy, & Science Teaching (IHPST) Conference – Teaching and communicating science: what the history, philosophy and sociology of science can contribute. University of Leeds, UK