Education and Outreach
In response to some critics of my Science and Black History Month post, Renaisauce elegantly explained why diversity lessons were so important to all of society. He then said "can you name 5 scientists from every ethnicity?". Well, can you name 5 Women scientists...from each major discipline?
Now that the primaries have narrowed the number of viable major-party presidential candidates to three, ScienceDebate2008 promises to give each of them an opportunity to address an issue that is not strictly partisan: science and technology policy and what it means for the future of our nation and the world.
Philadelphia's Franklin Institute has announced its prestigious awards, the Benjamin Franklin Medals and the Bower Awards for significant achievements in science and business leadership.
The Franklin Medal has been awarded for 184 years, far longer than the Nobel Prize, and its recipients have included many of the greatest names in international science and technology.
In celebration of Women's History Month, I am spotlighting two women in the field of life sciences: Dr. Roger A. Young, the first African-American female to receive a doctorate in Zoology, and Dr. Maydianne Andrade, Evolutionary Biologist.
The Missing Link - a monthly podcast on the history of science, medicine and technology - has just launched a three-episode series on the fascinating history behind the evolution-intelligent design controversy.
Episode 8, just posted at http://missinglinkpodcast.com, begins the series with an investigation into how the nature of scientific method has changed over the centuries. Discover at just what point science invented rules that creationism could not follow.
Future episodes will consider topics like Jewish and Catholic responses to the evolution-ID controversy, why the creationism movement waned in the immediate postwar period in America, and how the very word "evolution" might be inadvertently fueling the controversy.
Find more information at http://missinglinkpodcast.com
In a new article in School Library Journal's "Extra Helping" Newsletter entitled "Schools Cut Back on Other Subjects to Focus on Reading, Math," Debra Lau Whelan writes:
Are teachers spending less time on science and social studies to focus on their students’ reading and math scores? You bet, says a new report that analyzes how much other subjects are suffering as a result of districts trying to meet the strict requirements of No Child Left Behind.
How bad are the cutbacks? Read on.
An article in School Library Journal's "Extra Helping" newsletter reports bad news about the No Child Left Behind program.
"Here's a new and significant research finding that won't surprise many of No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) school-based critics: high-stakes, test-based accountability—exactly what the law promotes—has a direct, negative impact on graduation rates," writes Joan Oleck.
I just received my review copy of this important book, and my recommendation is short and sweet.
I'd still like to see the candidates speak for themselves on scientific issues, but the Physics Today blog has a useful posting.
Purdue University engineers have developed a new aluminum-rich alloy that produces hydrogen by splitting water and is economically competitive with conventional fuels for transportation and power generation.
ScienceDebate2008 is looking more and more likely as the campaigns of two major candidates (Obama and Clinton) sent surrogates on short notice to a hastily pulled-together preliminary session at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston. Senator McCain's campaign sent regrets due to the short notice, while the Huckabee and Paul campaigns did not respond at all.
The latest newsletter of the Science Shelf book review archive is now available online.
It's official. Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Barack Obama have been invited to ScienceDebate2008.
The location? Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, named after one of our nation's greatest scientists (and greatest patriots). The date? April 18, just before the Pennsylvania Primary.
