You are hereIn the Beginning: Science, Origins, and ReligionFeaturing: Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D.  Time: 1:15pm Date: September 19, 2012 Location: Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall Westminster College Fulton, Missouri The subject of origins – of where we, Earth, and the universe come from – is one that has been considered by many religions since time immemorial. Science, RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY Sponsored by the Churchill Institute For more information: visit the Westminster Symposium website Solano StrollFeaturing: NCSE Staff
Time: 10:00am to 6:00pm Date: September 9, 2012 Location: Solano Avenue Look for us across from Cactus Taqueria, near the east end of the Street Fair Albany, California Come meet us in person at this fun family street fair -- music, food, entertainment, crafts, and a parade!  We will have hominin fossils and real live hominins. Also, this is your chance to support NCSE with a purchase of a t-shirt, book, or bumpersticker. And if you have questions, we have resources. For more information: Visit the Solano Stroll website Survey of PseudoscienceFeaturing: Glenn Branch, NCSE Deputy Director & others  Time: 2:00pm to 5:00pm Date: September 9, 2012 Location: What is pseudoscience? What are the danger signs? How best to avoid magical thinking? How much doubt is too much doubt? And when should your personal crank-o-meter start red-lining? Panelists will include Shane J. Trimmer, local skeptical activist; Glenn Branch, Deputy Director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE); Liam McDaid, Sacramento City College astronomy professor; Sarah Strand, CSUS professor of neuroscience; and possibly Bob Carroll, author of the Skeptic's Dictionary, for a light survey of the many swamps and pitfalls to critical thinking. You've had experiences with cranks, and isn't there a little bit of crank in all of us? But don't let rank crankism happen to you! Come to this meeting, listen, participate, have fun, and be ready to talk about your own adventures in pseudoscience.  This will be a joint meeting with the Sacramento Area Skeptics. For more information: visit the AOF Events Calendar Deja Vu All Over Again: Denialism of Climate Change and of EvolutionFeaturing: Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D. Time: 8:30pm Date: September 2, 2012 Location: Dragon*Con Atlanta Downtown Hilton 255 Courtland Street Northeast Atlanta, Georgia Both evolution and global warming are “controversial issues” in education, but are not controversial in the world of science. There is remarkable similarity in the techniques that Skepticism Track at the popular cultural conference Dragon*Con For more information: visit the Dragon*Con website The Evolution-Creation Wars: A Discussion and UpdateFeaturing: Josh Rosenau and Eugenie Scott  Time: 5:30pm Date: September 2, 2012 Location: Dragon*Con Atlanta Downtown Hilton 255 Courtland Street Northeast Atlanta, Georgia Evolution is one of the core ideas in science, but almost half the population rejects evolution. Why? How do we promote good science education? Science Track at the pop culture conference Dragon*Con  For more information: visit the Dragon*Con website It's Not Just About the ScienceFeaturing: Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D.  Time: 9:30pm Date: August 21, 2012 Location: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown 1201 Market Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NCSE defends the teaching of evolution and climate change, two topics on which there is considerable scientific consensus but strong ideological pushback from the general public. How does one change the perception of the public to  more closely parallel that of scientists? The normal reaction of scientists is to bemoan the quality of science education, and propose that more and better science instruction will solve the problem. However, multifactorial problems require multifactorial solutions, and the rejection by a substantial proportion of the public of well-established science is certainly multifactorial. We need to go beyond science (and science education) to consider the underlying ideological sources of the rejection and how best to deal with them.Symposium honoring the retirement of Dr. Rudy Baum at the 244th Annual Meeting of the American Chemical Society For more information: Visit: ACS Conference website
A conversation with Eugenie Scott and Will StegerFeaturing: Eugenie C. Scott and Will Steger  Time: 3:00am Date: August 6, 2012 Location: Cowles Auditorium Humphrey School of Public Affairs University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Join Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, Eugenie C. Scott, and polar explorer and Minnesota native Will Steger for a free public forum as they share their experiences and  perspectives on climate change education. In early 2012, NCSE launched its climate science initiative to support the teaching of climate science in public schools. Steger has traveled tens of thousands of miles by kayak and dogsled over 45 years, leading teams on some of the most significant polar expeditions in history. Steger has been an educator and authored several books on his expeditions and environmental issues, including climate change.
Climate Science in Schools: the Next Evolution sponsored by the Will Steger Foundation and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy For more information: Visit the Will Steger Foundation website
The Bedrock of Science Communication: The Nature of ScienceFeaturing: Josh Rosenau  Time: 11:45pm Date: July 21, 2012 Location: American Scientific Affiliation Annual Meeting In a session on "Communicating Earth Science to the Public," Rosenau will discuss the importance of the nature of science for uprooting creationist and climate change-denying misinformation. Abstract: Discussing science as a process rather than simply presenting it as a collection of facts helps avoid common pitfalls in science education and science communication. Integrating key ideas about the nature of science into science communication and science education makes it easier for students and audiences to relate to new scientific ideas and to avoid seeing these ideas through the lens of social controversy. Providing the context of how scientists test their ideas provides the narrative drive that turns dry statistics into a thrilling story on film or in the classroom. For more information: Contact: Visit the American Scientific Affiliation website. Could an Extraterrestrial be a Christian? Theology, Film, and the Evolution of Spiritual ConsciousnessFeaturing: Peter M.J. Hess, Ph.D.  Time: 12:15am Date: July 20, 2012 Location: American Scientific Affiliation Annual Meeting Cunningham A Point Loma Nazarene University 3900 Lomaland Drive San Diego, California This paper explores two theological dimensions of the ongoing conversation about extraterrestrial life. In the spirit of moving beyond books, it contrasts the theology of ET life with portrayals of the subject through the art form of late modernity: film. Numerous questions are raised by the evolution of rational life on chemically suitable planets within the habitable zone of suitable stars. If a religious response to the universe arises with consciousness, is belief in God a product of evolution? Since God became incarnate as Jesus at particular time in terrestrial evolutionary history, could the “Christ principle” become incarnate elsewhere in the universe as well, perhaps multiple times? If “the Christ” became incarnate a million years ago on Planet X, would the members of an expedition from that planet recognize Jesus of Nazareth as God incarnate? Is God necessarily triune, or is that an artifact of our own religious experience in a mono-solar cosmology? How might God be conceived of in a binary star system? Hollywood’s portrayal of extraterrestrial life is too often blunt and two-dimensional. Aliens are portrayed either as malign or monstrous (Alien, Independence Day, Galaxy Quest) or as benign or angelic (E.T., Starman, The Day the Earth Stood Still). It is more likely that extraterrestrial life that has evolved (like Homo sapiens) within an ecological web of predator-prey relationships will reflect an evolutionary morality, moral ambiguity within a widening circle of ethical inclusion. Theologically such a species would likely be like us − "simuliustus et peccator" − at the same time justified and sinners. 
For more information: Visit the American Scientific Affiliation website
Visit the Grand Canyon with NCSE!Featuring: NCSE's Eugenie C. Scott and Steven Newton Time: 12:00am Date: July 16, 2012 to July 24, 2012 Location: Grand Canyon, Arizona Twenty-two lucky members will raft the Grand Canyon from Marble Canyon to Diamond Creek, experiencing one of the most beautiful and majestic natural features on the planet. Of course, as Eugenie Scott, NCSE's executive director, will inform the rafters, the whole Colorado plateau was laid down by the receding waters of Noah's Flood about 4,327 years ago, and the Grand Canyon itself was gouged catastrophically in a matter of days. Geologist Steven Newton will present the standard geological history of Grand Canyon to the rafters — and "they can make up their own minds." NCSE's "Creation/Evolution Grand Canyon Raft Trip" is a wonderful way to learn about the creationism/evolution controversy in a fabulous natural setting. 
For more information: Click here for more information or email NCSE Pages |
NCSE Speakers
NCSE staff members are available to give lectures and workshops on evolution and climate education, and controversies surrounding them, for teachers, clergy members, students, scientists, and the general public.
Please see our staff pages for details and suggested honoraria. |
