The original call for research papers went out in the summer of 2011 and, by September, there were over thirty abstracts returned for review, from many countries including Hong Kong, Nigeria, Poland, Jamaica, Malta, the United States, Japan, Ireland and, of course, Britain. Of the proposals reviewed and accepted, 21 were finally presented at Liverpool over three days in January. Many of these 30-minute presentations proffered interesting findings, thoughtful interpretations and virtually all suggested ways to develop and improve science education. A key aim of the research series was to share useful and informative studies with practitioners and educators so they could engage more meaningfully in reflective discussion about what researchers do in science education, and why. The different approaches taken to research various aspects of science education ranged from small-scale pilot studies to extensive national investigations, illustrative and exploratory case studies, action research projects demonstrating effects of teaching, learning and assessment interventions and critical reviews of current policy and/or practice. The focus of the papers included: (1) the nature of training in primary and secondary science teaching; (2) the ways in which primary children can be supported to carry out research themselves; (3) current concerns regarding assessment policy and practices, types of practical work, alternate conceptions and ways of teaching to address them; (4) issues in teacher preparation; and (5) specific teaching topics such as magnetism and enquiry skills. This article highlights some of the events in the Science Education Research series of presentations at the 2012 ASE Annual Conference.