Alliance For Science - Alliance Archives

Creationism Bill awaits Louisiana Governor's Signature

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:00:18 -0600

On Monday June 16th, the Louisiana Senate, by a vote of 39 to 0, passed the "Louisiana Science Education Act" in the form amended by the Louisiana House. This puts the bill on Louisiana Governor Jindal's desk for signature. If he does not sign it or veto it, it will pass into law within 20 days of passage. As noted previously, Gov. Jindal has publicly expressed support for teaching intelligent design.

The Louisiana Coalition for Science is urging everyone to email Gov. Jindal to urge him to veto the bill. This bill is clearly aimed at introducing creationism into the public science classrooms, despite craftily worded language that would lead innocent readers to believe otherwise. See this NCSE article for more details concerning how one of the bill's sponsors has acknowledged the creationist intent.

Email Governor Jindal now while there is still a chance to persuade him to veto the bill.

"Academic Freedom" Creationism's New Smoke Screen

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:41:17 -0600

Bill in Louisiana is almost certain to become law

What do Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, and South Carolina all have in common? They are all states where anti-evolution legislation has been introduced within the last year. Thanks to the hard work of scientists, teachers, and grassroots organizations, the efforts of creationists in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and South Carolina have been contained, at least temporarily. However, creationist hopes continue in Michigan and they are on the verge of fulfillment in Louisiana. Texas is also at risk, owing to strong creationist support on the State Board of Education.

Announcing 2008 Contest Winners and Topic for 2009

Sat, 10 May 2008 12:34:49 -0600

Update 9-June-08: See this post for the list of organizations and people who have helped us make our 2nd Annual National High School Essay Contest a success. Thank You!.

The 2008 Essay Contest Winners Are...

Place	Student	Essay Link	Grade	School	City	State	Teacher
1st	Neal Desai	1st Place Essay	10	The Pembroke Hill School	Kansas City	MO	Kathy Ketchum
2nd	Frances Ellerbe	2nd Place Essay	12	Heathwood Hall Episcopal School	Columbia	SC	George Scouten
3rd	David Martorana	3rd Place Essay	11	Iolani School	Honolulu	HI	Dr. Carey S. Inouye
4th	Marleigh Higgins	4th Place Essay	11	Brookline High School	Brookline	MA	Ms. Plati

Note: Views expressed in these essays are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alliance for Science.

We salute these exceptional students for their outstanding efforts, and thank their teachers for their dedication and support. We again thank the many generous contributors who have supplied our prizes. See the 2008 essay contest prize list to see all the prizes that we will be sending out over the next few weeks.

Click Here to see the top 10 finalists of our 2008 essay contest.

MAY 17, 2008 PRESS RELEASE

2008 Contest Main Page

2007 Contest Main Page

Please donate to support the 2009 contest

We have a special essay contest planned for 2009 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin (details below). But we need your help! The Alliance for Science is a 501c(3) non-profit organization that depends entirely on donations. We do not charge an entry fee for our contest, nor do we solicit students or teachers for donations. We are all volunteers and our administrative expenses are very low.

To donate by credit card, please click on the Donate button in the upper-left corner of this web page. If you prefer, you can send a check or money order payable to the Alliance for Science, P.O. Box 5122, Arlington VA 22205-9998.

2009 Contest Theme: "In Darwin's Footsteps"

Many of the comforts and benefits of civilization that we enjoy today would be impossible were it not for the efforts of scientists to help us understand and manage the forces of the natural world. Think about it -- cell phones, airplanes, antibiotics, laser eye surgery – we take these for granted nowadays, but if it weren’t for the hard work of scientists and engineers through the centuries we would have none of them. The progress resulting from scientific research is truly one of the triumphs of civilization.

NAS Releases "Science, Evolution, and Creationism"

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 11:13:56 -0700

Start: Jan 4 2008 - 11:00am

Timezone: Etc/GMT-5

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) will jointly release a new publication, Science, Evolution, and Creationism, at 11:00 AM EST on Friday, January 4, 2008. Members of the Clergy Letter Project who live in the Washington, DC area are cordially invited to the one hour public briefing for the release of this booklet, which will take place in the Lecture Room of the National Academy of Sciences Building, 2100 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Seating is limited. Click for Directions to the NAS building.

Review of "Kansas Vs. Darwin"

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:41:14 -0700

Note: The following review is based on a screening copy of Kansas Vs. Darwin, a documentary DVD about the evolution education hearings held in May of 2005 by a sub-committee of the Kansas State Board of Education. This review is provided for informational purposes, and should not be construed as a product endorsement.

by Jerry Jellison, Alliance for Science Board Member

I thought the documentary was very good. There is no narration; the story is told through interviews with the advocates on both sides of the controversy. There is music, which is well-integrated into the film. Although apparently a production of a small independent producer ("Unconditional Films"), it is done very professionally.

Evolution and Racial Equality - Symposium Nov 10, 2007

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:47:51 -0600

Throughout 2008 and into 2009 you will hear quite a bit about the topic of "Evolution and Racial Equality." The coincidence of Darwin's and Lincoln's 200th birthdays on Feb. 12, 2009 gives us in the Alliance for Science and other organizations an opportunity to focus on this important topic.

With this in mind, we are all invited to the Washington Theological Consortium symposium on "Evolution and Racial Equality" on SAT Nov. 10, from 9:30am - 2:00pm. Preregistration is required since a free lunch is provided. The attached flyer includes the registration form, which can be completed and emailed to: WTC@washtheocon.org.

Special McGill Journal of Education Article Focuses on Evolution

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:40:20 -0600

The McGill Journal of Education has published a special issue dealing exclusively with the teaching and learning of biological (and geological & cosmological) evolution. This special issue features articles by Eugenie Scott, Robert Pennock, Randy Moore, Brian Alters, Craig Nelson, and several other internationally recognized experts on evolution education. The McGill Journal of Education (MJE) is a long-standing, internationally respected, fully peer-reviewed publication. This special issue was a project of the Evolution Education Research Centre (EERC) at McGill University (in co-operation with Harvard University). The EERC’s director is Brian Alters, most recently known for his participation as an expert witness in the Dover, PA Intelligent Design trial.

Founder of Clergy Letter Project addresses Alliance Potluck Dinner

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 09:58:59 -0600

On Sunday, Oct 21st, the Alliance for Science held a casual “potluck” dinner at the Falls Church, Virginia Community Center. The gathering featured a talk by Dr. Michael Zimmerman, Dean of the College of Arts and Scientists at Butler University in Indiana, and founder of the Clergy Letter Project. Dr. Zimmerman spoke for about an hour to a small but enthusiastic audience.

He started by briefly recapping the major periods in the evolution-creationism struggle in America, starting with the “Scopes era” in the ‘20s, the “scientific creationism era” of the ‘70s and ‘80s, followed by the current “intelligent design era”. He noted that the current threat to education and science policy is more dangerous than ever before. The scientific creationists tried to explain the creation model in scientific terms. What they put forward was bad science, but they were still attempting to do science. However, modern intelligent design advocates are attempting to redefine science itself (so as to allow supernatural causes), and this violates the essential character of science.

Evolution, Scientists and Religious Communities

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:36:43 -0600

Start: May 3 2007 - 7:30pm

End: May 3 2007 - 9:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-5

The Alliance is sponsoring a talk by Dr. Connie Bertka, Program Director, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER). The presentation will dicuss efforts on the part of the AAAS DoSER Program to proactively engage religious communities around the issue of teaching evolution. Dr. Bertka holds a Ph.D in Geology and a Master of Theological Studies degree. See the event flyer for more detail

Pencils Down! Essay Contest Update

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:04:40 -0600

The March 31st submission deadline has arrived for the Alliance's 2007 National High School Essay Contest. We are truly grateful for the hard work put in by our contestants, and for the support given by participating teachers. There was a flurry of submissions in the last few days, with one essay arriving nine minutes before the deadline!

The essays will soon be sent to our judging committee, who will be rating the essays "blind", i.e. not knowing the name or any other information about the submitting students. We have alloted the month of April for our judges to do their work, and plan to announce the winners in early May.

Public Meeting: Nikhil Rao of Conservatives Against Intelligent Design

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 15:42:39 -0600

Start: Apr 24 2007 - 7:30pm

End: Apr 24 2007 - 9:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-5

Nikhil Rao, founder of Conservatives Against Intelligent Design, will give a talk at the Arlington Central Library on Tuesday, April 24th. The presentation will address:

How evolution itself isn't a radical idea, it's just continually associated with radical or at least contentious ideas.
How we can make evolution palatable ot religious conservatives by clarifying the difference between metaphysical and scientific knowledge.
How biology education needs to be reformed so that people can approach the issue of evolution in an informed manner.

"Standing Room Only" at Mary McCutcheon's Talk at Arlington Central Library

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:47:36 -0700

On February 26th, Dr. Mary McCutcheon of the Alliance for Science gave a talk on "Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design" at the Arlington Central Library. The event was a huge success, with the 180-seat auditorium filled to capacity. Mary gave a lively presentation well illustrated with slides and with a bit of humor to liven up what can be a very dry subject. Take a look at Mary's chart comparing the strict scientific method, young earth creationism, and intelligent design for a good example of Mary's witty and insightful presentation. Another humorous touch was her use of Mark Isaak's poem What Inerrists Believe.

Alliance joins Coalition On the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS)

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:27:52 -0700

The Alliance for Science is please to announce that it has recently joined the Coalition On the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS). COPUS is a grassroots effort linking universities, scientific societies, science advocacy groups, science media, science educators, businesses, and industry in a consortium having as its goal a greater public understanding of the nature of science and its value to society. This is an essential step in re-establishing the nation's leadership role in the national and global scientific enterprise. It is critical to ensuring the long-term social well-being of the American people.

Reverend Pat Conover's Sermon on Evolution Sunday

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 21:01:38 -0700

On February 11th, Evolution Sunday 2007, Reverend Pat Conover delivered a sermon on the topic of "When Good Science and Good Theology Meet". The sermon was delivered at the Seekers Church in the Takoma Park - Washington, DC area. Rev. Conover has been kind enough to send us a copy of his sermon, which you will find attached to this post. There was also a recent article in The Gazette, a local Maryland community newspaper, featuring Rev. Conover and his involvement with The Seekers Church, with a brief refer

Errors of an Evolution Denier

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 20:03:53 -0700

As expected, the half-page newspaper ad that the Alliance for Science co-sponsored with the Clergy Letter Project provoked a reaction from creationists. A "guest-column" by John Popp critized Evolution Sunday and suggested that it was part of an effort to suppress intelligent design. Alliance Board Member Dick Lessard wrote this response