ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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To ASTC and the Listserv

I would have said until very recently – like this month following this 
thread on evolution (104+ thoughtful posts so far!) written by you, my 
colleagues, that evolution was easy to prove.  It’s not, at least to 
those who have put the word in the category of blasphemy.  Our 
scientific definition of the word and the definition understood by 
those complaining are clearly different.   I hear and agree with those 
of you saying we don’t want to alienate anyone.  Ask any of our 
directors, we are fragile economic institutions and we can’t afford to 
alienate anyone.   We don’t want to alienate anyone, and we don’t want 
people rejecting science in general.  We can't let that go.
Our society needs science as a tool.  Evolution is a subset of a much 
bigger problem: our society ignoring science (pick global warming or a 
number of other critical issues facing our species, our planet today).

Synopsis: Ignoring evolution weakens science, being hard line about it 
weakens our ability to reach people.  Neither is acceptable.

And that is precisely why we need to respond as a group, cohesive like 
we have never been before, with a very carefully crafted statement, 
short and sweet.
We need to all cover, as ASTC, not just Fort Worth, or institutions in 
the south, but all of us, in a respectful tone the definitions involved 
with evolution in a clearly written statement that we publicly give to 
the press and place in all our centers.


Who writes it?  Please help, do a pass at it, those with the ability.  
Post your version.  Fort Worth’s  is a great start.  See Kit Goolsby's 
post of  March 25th for that.
We need this now, quickly.  Deadline of one week for statement 
candidates?

Who presents it?
Realistically, any center that wants to.
Ideally, ASTC with a unanimous science center community behind it.


Clifford Wagner

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