Science education continues to move away from student learning of vast amounts of factual information and towards collaborative, authentic problem solving environments. Fostering effective problem - solving skills is becoming increasingly important in undergraduate science education. This talk will highlight key facets of problem - solving processes pertinent to many science disciplines, reveal how undergraduate students perceive and represent problems, and illustrate the relationship between problem perception and problem - solving success. Science problem solving requires a keen sensitivity to problem contexts, the disciplined internal representation or modeling of a problem, and the principled management and deployment of cognitive resources. Context recognition tasks, problem representation practice, and cognitive resource management are important cognitive skills, and could provide useful conceptual frameworks for helping students navigate the changing educational landscape. Empirical examples from biology, chemistry, and physics education will be used to illustrate core aspects of problem solving.