NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2012/11/09
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2012-11-09 16:02.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear Friends of NCSE, Sad news of the death of Molleen Matsumura. And congratulations to J. William Schopf.
MOLLEEN MATSUMURA DIES Molleen Matsumura, a former employee of NCSE, died on October 30, 2012, at the age of 64. Born in Riverside, California, on May 1, 1948, Matsumura earned a BA in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1970. She worked as a freelance writer and editor and, starting in 1981, as a senior editor for the Alin Foundation. With Judith Rogers, she wrote Mother To Be: A Guide to Pregnancy and Birth for Women with Disabilities (Demos Medical Publishing, 1991). She worked for NCSE as Network Project Director from 1993 to 2001, having worked as a freelance editor for NCSE as early as 1991. Before, during, and after her time at NCSE, she was also active in the humanist community, serving as associate editor of Free Inquiry, founding and serving as the president of Secular Humanists of the East Bay, serving on the advisory board of the Secular Student Alliance, receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Council for Secular Humanism in 1993, writing a humanist advice column entitled "Sweet Reason," and coauthoring Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief (AMACOM, 2009). She also served on the national advisory council of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Matsumura's writing and editorial talents were in constant and welcome use at NCSE. She wrote voluminously for NCSE Reports and its descendant Reports of the NCSE, with such articles as "What do Christians really believe about evolution?" (RNCSE 1998;18[2]:8-9) and "A new tactic for getting 'creation science' into classrooms?" (RNCSE 1999;19[3]:24-26) still being cited. She also wrote several brochures and pamphlets, including "Facing challenges to evolution education," "Evolution, creationism, and science education: Answers to ten common questions," and "Eight major court decisions against teaching creationism as science," and edited the second edition of NCSE's Voices for Evolution (1995), which, like the third edition, collected statements supporting the teaching of evolution from scientific, educational, civil liberties, and religious organizations. Just as important, though, were Matsumura's tireless and effective communication and organizing skills. Whether convincing local activists to work together to oppose creationist incursions in their communities, rallying scientific or educational organizations to take a stand, or informing the press of the latest creationist tactics, she was always a persuasive and enlightening force. For the two cited articles from RNCSE, visit: http://ncse.com/rncse/18/2/what-do-christians-really-believe-evolution http://ncse.com/rncse/19/3/new-tactic-getting-creation-science-into-classrooms For Voices for Evolution (now in its third edition), visit: http://ncse.com/voices CONGRATULATIONS TO J. WILLIAM SCHOPF NCSE is delighted to congratulate J. William Schopf on receiving the Paleontological Society Medal, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Paleontological Society, on November 4, 2012, at the Geological Society of America's annual meeting. A life member of NCSE, Schopf is Professor of Paleobiology in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of Cradle of Life: The Discovery of Earth's Earliest Fossils (Princeton University Press, 1999). Previous recipients of the medal include NCSE Supporters Niles Eldredge, Stephen Jay Gould, and Malcolm C. McKenna. For a brief mention of the medal in the program for the meeting (PDF, p. 23), visit: http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2012/documents/12AM-program.pdf 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 and climate education and threats to them. -- Sincerely, Glenn Branch Deputy Director National Center for Science Education, Inc. 420 40th Street, Suite 2 Oakland, CA 94609-2509 510-601-7203 x305 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Read Reports of the NCSE on-line: http://reports.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/join
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