NCSE Evolution Education Update for 2010/05/07
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear Friends of NCSE, NCSE's Eugenie C. Scott is to receive her seventh honorary degree, and NCSE Supporter Tim White is named one of Time's 100 most influential people. Plus a free preview of Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be.
NCSE'S SCOTT TO BE HONORED BY MIZZOU NCSE's executive director Eugenie C. Scott is to receive an honorary degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia, on May 15, 2010, in recognition of her achievements in defending the teaching of evolution in the public schools. According to a May 4, 2010, press release from the university: *** Scott has served as the executive director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) since 1987. Under her leadership, NCSE has become the most influential organization in the battle over how evolution is taught in the United States. ... Over the course of her career, Scott has become the leading critic of creationism and intelligent design in the United States and a relentless advocate for the preservation of teaching evolution in schools. *** The honorary degree will be her seventh; she received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from McGill University in 2003, the Ohio State University in 2005, Mount Holyoke College and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, in 2006; Rutgers University in 2007; and the University of New Mexico in 2008. The honor is especially meaningful for Scott, since she is a graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she earned her Ph.D. in physical anthropology with a dissertation on dental evolution in pre-Columbian Peru. She previously received the university's distinguished alumni award in 1993. For the press release, visit: http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2010/0504-two-leaders-in-science-education-receive-honorary-degrees/ TIM WHITE IN THE 2010 TIME TOP 100 NCSE congratulates Tim White on his inclusion in Time magazine's list of "the people who most affect our world" for 2010. White was honored for his work in paleoanthropology, particularly the recently described "Ardi" -- Ardipithecus ramidus. Sean B. Carroll wrote, "'Ardi,' a 4-ft. female, transforms our picture of our early ancestors. Ardi was at home in trees, but she also walked upright. A woodland dweller, she refutes the belief that modern posture was an adaptation to living on the savanna. Gaps in human history remain, but White has filled a big one." A Supporter of NCSE, White is Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. For Time's story, visit: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984745_1985500,00.html A PREVIEW OF LOXTON'S EVOLUTION NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview of Daniel Loxton's Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be (Kids Can Press, 2010), aimed at kids 8 to 13. Included are pages about the fossil record, Darwin, mutations, evolution in action, and the evolution of the eye. "I am just so delighted with this book!" NCSE's executive director Eugenie C. Scott writes. "Loxton hits the key concepts perfectly, and without being stuffy about it. A wonderful book to donate to your local library." And Donald Prothero adds, "A wonderfully clear, up-to-date, and well-illustrated account of how evolution works. The scientific content is first-rate." For the preview (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Evolution--KidsCanPress.pdf For information about the book from its publisher, visit: http://www.kidscanpress.com/US/Evolution-P3174.aspx Thanks for reading! And don't forget to visit NCSE's website -- http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on evolution education and threats to it. -- Sincerely, Glenn Branch Deputy Director National Center for Science Education, Inc. 420 40th Street, Suite 2 Oakland, CA 94609-2509 510-601-7203 x310 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter: http://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse http://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd http://twitter.com/ncse NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today! http://ncse.com/membership