NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2016/08/19
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2016-08-19 17:00.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, Kudos for David Amidon. A preview of The Madhouse Effect. And the Presbyterian Church (USA) adds its voice for evolution.
CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID AMIDON NCSE is pleased to congratulate David Amidon for receiving a Presidential Award for Environmental Educators for 2016, presented by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the EPA's announcement, Amidon "has engaged students in a variety of lessons to improve their understanding of the human impacts to ecosystems and environmental sustainability." Amidon, a middle school science teacher in LaFayette, New York, is a member of NCSEteach's advisory board and a participant in its Scientist in the Classroom program. For the announcement about the award, visit: https://www.epa.gov/education/presidential-innovation-award-environmental-educators-piaee-winners For information about NCSEteach and its Scientist in the Classroom program, visit: http://ncseteach.com/ A PREVIEW OF THE MADHOUSE EFFECT NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview of Michael E. Mann and Tom Toles's The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy (Columbia University Press, 2016). The preview consists of a chapter entitled "Geoengineering, or 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" which expresses skepticism about "many of the technofix schemes proposed as purported solutions to the problem of human-caused climate change." Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State University; Toles is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist at the Washington Post. Of their book, Jane Lubchenco writes, "Brilliant, insightful, and fresh! Two gifted experts -- one a scientist, the other an editorial cartoonist -- invite you to be entertained and outraged, inspired and motivated to escape the madhouse that characterizes climate dialogue and politics today. New and hilarious insights into climate change. I loved it!" For the preview of The Madhouse Effect (PDF), visit: https://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/excerpt--mann--madness.pdf For information about the book from its publisher, visit: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-madhouse-effect/9780231177863 PRESBYTERIANS ADD THEIR VOICE FOR EVOLUTION At the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) held June 18-25, 2016, the assembly voted to adopt a proposed "Affirmation of Creation." According to the affirmation, scientific inquiry provides "descriptions and ever more profound understandings" of God's creation. Included in the affirmation are acknowledgments that the universe is 13.8 billion years old, that the Earth is 4.6 billion years old, that life on Earth is 3.6 billion years old, that living things on Earth are connected "in a network of kinship by virtue of biological evolution from common ancestors," and that Homo sapiens emerged "over more than 6 million years of hominin development." The affirmation is now reproduced in its entirety on NCSE's website and will be included in the fourth edition of NCSE's Voices for Evolution. The assembly also approved a proposal to endorse the Clergy Letter Project, which describes evolution as a "foundational scientific truth." For information about the Presbyterian Church (USA), visit: https://www.pcusa.org/ For the text of the affirmation, visit: https://ncse.com/library-resource/presbyterian-church-usa For information about Voices for Evolution, visit: http://ncse.com/voices And for information about the Clergy Letter Project, visit: http://www.theclergyletterproject.org/ CORRECTION In the August 12, 2016, update, a link to NCSE's story about Josh Rosenau's column in New Scientist was provided rather than a link to the column itself. For Rosenau's column in New Scientist, visit: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2100109-school-field-trips-to-creationist-ark-sink-that-idea-right-now/ WHAT'S NEW FROM THE SCIENCE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Have you been visiting NCSE's blog, The Science League of America, recently? If not, then you've missed: * Glenn Branch describing a future president's debate on evolution: https://ncse.com/blog/2016/08/garfield-s-evolution-debate-0018325 * Stephanie Keep relating the latest on Piltdown: https://ncse.com/blog/2016/08/pinning-down-piltdown-0018344 * Glenn Branch discussing Alexander Graham Bell's attitude toward evolution: https://ncse.com/blog/2016/08/bell-rings-darwin-0018316 And much more besides! For The Science League of America, visit: http://ncse.com/blog 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. 1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600 Oakland CA 94612-2922 510-601-7203 fax 510-788-7971 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Check out NCSE's blog, Science League of America: http://ncse.com/blog 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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