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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Evolution and our schools continue in the
news. These are for your information.
Martin
NSTA study on teaching of evolution
http://www.nsta.org/pressroom&news_story_ID=50377
USA Today Story on NSTA report
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-03-23-evolution_x.htm
Bruce Alperts ( president of the NAS) about
evolution teaching and scientists role.
And in today's New York Times.
NY Times Editorial about IMAX
March 28, 2005
EDITORIAL
Censorship in the Science Museums
Big-screen Imax theaters typically offer lavish
visual spectacles with bland and uplifting
scripts. Their films are seldom the stuff of
controversy. So it was a bit of a shock to learn,
from an article by Cornelia Dean in The Times on
March 19, that a dozen or so Imax theaters,
mostly in the South, have been shying away from
science documentaries that might offend Christian
fundamentalists. Worse yet, some of those
theaters are located in science centers or
museums, the supposed expositors of scientific
truth for public education.
Some of the documentaries whose distribution has
been affected by religious controversy include
"Cosmic Voyage," a journey through the far-flung
universe, and "Galápagos," about the islands
where Charles Darwin made observations that
played a crucial role in his theory of evolution.
"Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," depicting the
bizarre creatures that flourish near hot,
sulfurous vents in the ocean floor, is the
current focus of controversy. It was vetted for
accuracy by a panel of scientists and was
sponsored in part by the National Science
Foundation, a government funding agency, and
Rutgers University. It raised hackles by
suggesting that life on Earth may have originated
at these undersea vents.
No one can object if Imax theaters, whether
commercial or located in museums, turned down the
deep sea film in the belief that it was too
boring to draw much of an audience, as some
managers indicated. But it is surely unacceptable
for science museums to reject the film in part
because some people in test audiences complained
that the material was blasphemous. The Fort Worth
Museum of Science and History, which made that
judgment initially, wisely reversed itself and
agreed to show the film after its cowardice
became known and was widely criticized.
The danger in self-censorship by museums is that
it will reduce the already tiny world of Imax
theaters available for big-screen science
documentaries. Producers have a hard time making
money as it is. It would be unfortunate if
censorship by science museums helped drive them
away from topics that might offend religious
fundamentalists.
--
Martin Weiss, Ph.D
Vice President, Science
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 th Street
Corona, New York 11368
718 699 0005 x 356
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