The Texas Freedom Network has posted the names of the Texas State Board of Education's new expert panel to review science standards. They have three creationist/ID sympathizers on the board. Who you ask?
Some puppets for the Discovery Institute, namely the following:
The two authors are Stephen Meyer, who is vice president of the Discovery Institute, and Ralph Seelke, a professor of the department of biology and earth sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. A third panel member, Charles Garner, is a professor of chemistry at
Now they are on an advisory board that is supposed to help a creationist head of the Texas board, Don McElroy, make sound decisions about science education in Texas. Granted...it's Texas which we know has quite the history lately staring science down and compromising good science education by shoving their former science adviser right out the door. But this is like the kangaroo court of Kansas all over again.
What will the standards be there? We'll be watching.
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This is a little bit late. I've been under tons of school work, presentation prep, and conference prep.
1 comments:
As a biology major involved in undergraduate research at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, I was extremely irritated when I heard that Dr. Ralph Seelke had addressed the Texas Board of Education on the subject of teaching alternatives to evolution without the knowledge of the University or the Biology and Earth Sciences Department. I have taken two courses taught by Dr. Seelke during which I was constantly frustrated by his inability to separate his personal religious and moral views from the classroom.
I have also attended several of Dr. Seelke's presentations, and am baffled by his insistence that his research, which involves one species of bacteria, confirms that there is a fundamental flaw in evolutionary theory. One can read and form one’s own opinion about Dr. Seelke’s research on his website, http://www2.uwsuper.edu/rseelke/index.htm. The site also gives a fairly clear picture of his religious views. This is a personal website which is not affiliated with the university; however, students in Dr. Seelke’s classes, two of which are required for all biology majors, must routinely visit the site to obtain study guides, lecture notes, and other course materials.
I feel that Dr. Seelke’s continual presence on the intelligent design scene and the perceived association of his views with the University of Wisconsin-Superior are harming the reputation of our university and undermining the credibility of other scientific research being done at the university. Dr. Seelke was not officially representing the university during this venture, and his evolution research and personal religious views are not characteristically representative of an otherwise outstanding and valuable undergraduate research department.
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