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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How about "The Science of Evolution"?

Robin Frisch
MindSplash



> From: Clifford Wagner <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Informal Science Education Network <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sat, 9 Apr 2005 21:12:23 -0400
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: evolution statement
> 
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Great job, Jeffrey.    The deadlines I imposed was pretty arbitrary, so
> none of us should sweat it in the short haul.  In the long haul we need
> to be clear to our public.   It's still worth doing a second round, if
> anyone has the energy and the writing skills, to take the best of the
> material presented so far and make an even better version.    Posting
> such a statement- level headed, TRUTHFUL, and informative is such an
> easy way for all science centers to deal with misconceptions of science
> and evolution without losing visitors that I suggest to everyone that
> this is a path of least resistance.  Make a good looking copy, put it
> on a kiosk, (no budget? Put it on a music stand!) and leave it in one
> of your halls even by itself.
> 
> What should the title be?  Evolution is Science?  Science and Evolution?
> 
> The title is important.
> 
> Clifford
> 
> 
> On Apr 9, 2005, at 7:58 PM, Kodi Jeffery wrote:
> 
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
>> Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>> institutions.
>> ***********************************************************************
>> ******
>> 
>> I know I'm past the "official due date" for science centers'
>> statements regarding evolution, but I decided it was worth offering my
>> suggestion, regardless. It's longer than I'd like (373 words), but I'm
>> having trouble finding a place to shorten it -- unless it was to cut
>> one or both of the last two (very short) paragraphs. I think that
>> opinions might differ as to whether to keep them, so I'm offering the
>> whole thing, here. I'd love to hear suggestions on ways to better it
>> and hope people find it useful. (I admit to wondering whether visitors
>> might be willing to read a longer piece of text if it were regarding a
>> topic of concern to them -- and I think we'd all agree that evolution
>> is a topic of concern to many of our visitors).
>> 
>> Kodi Jeffery, Ph.D
>> Informal Science Educator
>> Currently seeking employment
>> 
>> Science is about testing ideas. In fact, if there's no way to test an
>> idea's validity, that idea can't be considered science. Some ideas can
>> be tested directly, such as whether a certain medicine can destroy
>> cancer cells. Others can't be controlled the same way, but as long as
>> there are ways to apply discriminating testing, the ideas can still be
>> scientific. Copernicus' idea of a sun-centered solar system was heresy
>> among people who considered Earth the center of the universe. But
>> despite being unable to control the planets for tests, scientists
>> could still make predictions based on this idea. They could predict
>> eclipses and explain phases of the moon and intricate planetary
>> motions. And the more people could explain and predict, the stronger
>> this idea became. Eventually, it became a theory, in the proper sense
>> of the word: the very highest "achievement" of any idea in science.
>> 
>> A valid theory explains huge amounts of data; it is then used to make
>> further predictions and design new tests. The more we study and learn,
>> the better we can refine and validate the theory. Evolutionary theory
>> has been used to synthesize data from geology to microbiology. It has
>> synthesized huge amounts of widely disparate data, and scientists use
>> it to make seemingly endless predictions and plans. For example,
>> evolution helps us understand why antibiotics stop working after a
>> period of time and helps us plan new strategies for future
>> medications. If this theory had failed in a prediction or explanation,
>> even once, scientists would have had to revise or even discard the
>> theory. But the idea has held strong, despite decades of rigorous
>> testing, so much so that it has become the unifying theory of biology.
>> Without it, nothing makes sense.
>> 
>> Contrary to popular conceptions, science takes no stand on religion.
>> People once believed a sun-centered solar system conflicted with their
>> religious beliefs, but they eventually realized that science was
>> merely explaining the natural processes that make our world work.
>> 
>> As a science center, we respect the most basic tenets of science,
>> namely that we must keep an open mind while we test our world, then
>> let those tests teach us what they will. Evolutionary theory continues
>> to teach us new things every day.
>> 
>> ***********************************************************************
>> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
>> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at
>> http://www.astc.org.
>> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
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> 
> ***********************************************************************
> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
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***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
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