NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2014/08/08
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2014-08-08 15:23.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, A glimpse of Greg Craven's What's the Worst that Could Happen? And sad news of the death of Jack Friedman.
A GLIMPSE OF WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview of Greg Craven's What's the Worst that Could Happen? A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate (Perigee, 2009). The preview consists of chapter 1, "The Decision Grid: What's the Worst that Could Happen? (Or Giant Mutant Space Hamsters)," which engagingly discusses ways to think about the probabilities and consequences of global warming (and less likely scenarios). Praising What's the Worst that Could Happen? Bill McKibben commented, "This book trumps most of our accounts of the global warming crisis, partly for its good humor and straightforward logic, and partly because the author has actually figured out what actions make sense. Changing your lightbulb will help a little, but changing the political debate will help enormously — and this book will get you started down that path." For the preview of What's the Worst that Could Happen? (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/book-excerpt For information about the book from its publisher, visit: http://www.penguin.com/book/whats-the-worst-that-could-happen-by-greg-craven/9780399535017 JACK FRIEDMAN DIES Jack Friedman, a past president of NCSE's board of directors, died on July 31, 2014, at the age of 88, according to Newsday (August 2, 2014). As a master biology teacher, Friedman viewed the surge of antievolution activity in the 1970s with alarm, and consequently helped to mobilize concerned citizens in the New York City area -- including Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge -- to take the threat seriously. He served as president of the New York Council for Evolution Education, one of the first Committees of Correspondence that preceded the establishment of NCSE. Subsequently, Friedman helped to found NCSE in 1983, and served on its board for twenty-nine years (1983-2012), including five years as treasurer (1988-1992) and seven years as president (1983-1987 and 1993-1994). Writing in Newsday (July 14, 1995), Friedman explained, "Biology makes no sense unless we view it through the eyes of evolution ... Teaching creationism as if it were accepted scientifically deprives students of the most unifying principle of biology." A good example of his profound commitment to the integrity of science education was featured in Newsday (November 27, 2005), just after the Kansas state board of education's decision to adopt a set of state science standards that impugned the scientific status of evolution and just before the decision in Kitzmiller v. Dover. Amid these controversies, Friedman, then 80, was busy "coaching middle school teachers on how to address the issue [of creationism] with their students." He told the newspaper, "They didn't want to step on anybody's religion and have their parents come in and get them in trouble" even while they were complying with the state's expectation that evolution would be taught. Friedman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 26, 1925. He served in the Army in World War II as a medic. Discharged with the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart, he attended Brooklyn College, graduating in 1950, and New York University, from which he earned a master's degree in biology in 1960. In the same year, he helped to write a BSCS high school biology textbook published in 1963. He taught at the Bronx High School of Science for five years and then at Syosset High School, where he founded the science department and chaired it for thirty years. After retiring, he taught biology at Hofstra University and for a decade at Nassau Community College, where he was honored as teacher of the year for 2003. For Newsday's obituary, visit: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsday/obituary.aspx?n=jack-friedman&pid=171945935&fhid=22111 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: * Robert Luhn making his blog debut with a discussion of climate change around Lake Shasta: http://ncse.com/blog/2014/08/no-vacation-from-climate-change-0015790 * Glenn Branch introducing the flat-earther who wanted to testify against Scopes: http://ncse.com/blog/2014/08/voliva-0015774 * Eugenie C. Scott discussing science denial in the tanning bed: http://ncse.com/blog/2014/07/uv-radiation-skin-cancer-too-soon-to-tell-0015779 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. 420 40th Street, Suite 2 Oakland, CA 94609-2509 510-601-7203 x303 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Check out NCSE's new 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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