Evolution 2008 is for teachers

Teachers, come to Minneapolis this summer! Not for the Republican convention, but for the other great big important meeting that will be taking place: Evolution 2008.

Teachers in particular get a really good deal: a special workshop is planned, specifically on the teaching of evolutionary biology in the schools. We’ve got some good speakers (and me) lined up, and the registration cost of a mere $20 not only gets you into the workshop, but into the regular meetings as well. Here are the details:

Evolution 101 Workshop for K-12 Educators
Friday, June 20, 2008
Bell Museum of Natural History
University of Minnesota
.625 CEUs

One $20 registration also gives K-12 teachers access to sessions and symposia by the sponsoring scientific organizations, as well as social events and keynote speakers for the full conference, June 20-24.

The EVOLUTION 101 workshop provides K-12 educators with information to effectively teach evolutionary biology in public and private school science classrooms. The workshop provides teachers the opportunity to interact with professional scientists who are eager to encourage evolutionary pedagogy. With one registration, K-12 teachers will also have access to presentations by the professional organizations, as well as keynote speakers for the full conference, June 20-24.

Registration: $20 non-refundable

A certificate of completion and .625 Continuing Education Units will be awarded for attendance at this workshop.

For more information about this workshop and to register on-line, please visit:
http://www.cce.umn.edu/conferences/evolution/evolution_101.html

The workshop is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), Minnesota Citizens for Science Education (MnCSE), and the Bell Museum of Natural History, with the generous financial support of the ADC Foundation.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
© 2008 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved

Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science: only the first word is accurate

This is pretty bad. It’s a school called the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, and the concept is great — bring smart high school students in to college early, where they can get more advanced instruction from professors. It sounds like the faculty are good and competent, near as I can tell, but I got a message from one of the students attending the school: the administration seems determined to destroy the science and math aspects of the program, and as far as I’m concerned, they’ve already damaged its reputation.

They bring in outside seminar speakers — good idea — but the impression I’m getting is that their speakers are there to contradict the science. They’re bringing in people from Probe Ministries, of all places; it’s a gang of god-walloping creationists who rail against homosexuality and abortion. That is not a good sign.

Then, this year, they give out t-shirts with a cute logo to admitted students. This is another fine idea, except that the implementation is truly cringeworthy. Students get to choose one of two t-shirts, and, well, their choices are both revealingly ignorant.

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Disappointed again

Somewhere south of San Francisco, there is a billboard that declares that there is physical proof of the existence of a god, and which suggests that you read their website. A reader sent it to me, and being the sort of open minded fellow who doesn’t believe in any gods but is happy to look at any evidence someone might find, I looked.

I’m still an atheist. You can stop here if you want.

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Too little, too late, too cheesy

The Vatican wants to erect a statue to Galileo, which is ironic enough. But to put the cherry on top, they plan to place it near the cell where he was held during his heresy trial. Do you think they’re doing this as a sign of papal humility, a sort of grand, ornate slap to the forehead and admission that “boy, did we make a boner”? Somehow, I suspect arrogance plays a bigger role.