Where do you fall?

I'm pretty much on the pitcher's mound.

I've earned a little...

...night music. I feel some Richard Thompson coming on.

BBB redux

The other video from our initation banquet.  Quite a few of these photos are from the Subtropical Ecology class that many of these students took last fall.  That's the Subtropical Ecology class that I promised myself I'd develop a lengthy blog post about a long time ago.  Reminder to myself.  Regardless, here you go...

Photos: "Zombie" Ants Found With New Mind-Control Fungi

For my zombie-loving friends...

Photos: "Zombie" Ants Found With New Mind-Control Fungi

Controversy revisited

OK, I'll call it a controversy as long as we identify it as the creationism controversy.  While there are certainly controversies within evolution (e.g. gradualism versus punctuated equilibrium) there's nothing controversial about evolution, at least in scientific circles.  The controversy has been created by people who are motivated to undermine scientific thought.  Here, the folks at Scientific American provide a state-by-state update on some current issues.  What's really interesting is how the nature of the controversy differs between regions.  Hover your mouse over California, and you'll find out that the University of California has been allowed to deny credit to applicants who took biology courses employing textbooks that reject evolution.  Visit Ohio, and you'll learn that a local school board has fired a teacher for teaching creationism in his science classroom.  But visit Louisiana and Tennessee, and you'll find lawmakers promoting bills that encourage the critical examination of scientific theories, with specific mention of biological evolution, the chemical origin of life, human cloning, and global warming.  If the inclusion of that last (scientifically) unrelated topic doesn't clearly illustrate that this all comes down to politics, nothing will.

Here in Alabama, home of Small Southern, it's a very rare high school science teacher that has the fortutide to teach the truth in his/her science classroom.  It requires real courage, a quality far too rare in education these days.  That's a shame.  There's a war going on, and the future of this country is at stake.  We're on the front lines - don't be a coward.

That time of year again

Last night, our chapter of Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society initiated some 25 new student members.  A good night for a great bunch of students.  A growing tradition are the little music videos that we do to compile some of our photos and experiences. We did one to remember our time on the water - we have a real preoccupation with water - as well as to advertise the upcoming Tombigbee River course that my colleague plans to offer this summer.  So, I give you...

Ornithologists

From xkcd comics.

The "controversy" continues

An update here on Scientific American from Jennifer Miller, one of the Dover, PA, science teachers who refused to read the statement undermining evolution and supporting "intelligent design" that the local school board had placed in the district's books.  This, of course, led to one of ID's more highly publicized failures when Judge John Jones ruled that ID was not only nonscientific, but that the whole episode was simply a ruse to allow the advancement of a creationist agenda in public school science classrooms.

Miller talks about her experiences in the classroom since Judge Jones' ruling.  She sounds like she's probably a very good science teacher.  Her comments remind me of the atmosphere my college-level evolution classes - there's no controversy and very little skepticism.  Once students have an understanding of how the process works, all but the most heavily propogandized are able to follow the weight of the scientific evidence.

More troubling is the discussion of what goes on in other classrooms.  Many (most?) of our high school science teachers continue to avoid the topic of evolution or, worse, confuse their students with false information and flawed logic.  Whatever your religion or philosophy, cowardice and hypocrisy are not admirable traits.  If you're one of those science teachers, do your job.  Or find another.