“Darwin Day” speaker discusses the value of evolution in science education
(Pittsburgh). . . Evolution may be endangered in the science classrooms of America. Those who oppose the teaching of evolution have faced repeated losses in court battles, but they still successfully influence state and local school boards.
Dr. Michael F. Antolin, associate professor of biology at Colorado State University, will present “Only Outlaws Would Evolve: The Value of Evolution Education to Modern Society,” at Duquesne University on Monday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Pappert Lecture Hall of the Bayer Learning Center. The talk will be followed by a discussion and reception.
The event is sponsored by the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences in commemoration of “Darwin Day,” an international celebration of science that coincides with the Feb. 12 birthday of Charles Darwin (www.darwinday.org).
Antolin will show that ignorance of evolutionary principles can compromise our understanding of medicine, agriculture, biotechnology and science in general. He will discuss how scientists can help defend the standards of science education by engaging in effective community outreach.
In 1999, Antolin helped organize a public awareness campaign to preserve the teaching of evolution in a science charter school in Colorado. He and a colleague described the case in “Perspective: Evolution’s Struggle for Existence in America’s Schools,” an article published in the journal of Evolution, December 2001.
Antolin’s research in population genetics, sex ratios and mating systems has resulted in more than 40 publications and dozens of speaking engagements across North America and Europe.
The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, call Dr. David Lampe, assistant professor of biological sciences, at 412-396-6322.
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