Date:
3/28/2002
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
Reporter: Colleen Wright
PORTALES – Dr. Jonathan Smith, who holds the Jack Williamson Visiting Endowed Chair in Science and the Humanities at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, is conducting an on-going colloquium on "Darwin and Darwinism Today: Contexts and Controversies."
The next presentation is "Teaching Evolution in the Schools" on Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m. in the Becky Sharp Auditorium of the College of Business. The presenter is Carla Burns, instructor of biology and chemistry at ENMU-Ruidoso, science teacher at Ruidoso High School, and past president of the New Mexico Science Teachers Association.
Questions that will be addressed will include: What specific controversies surround the teaching of evolution in the schools? What are the standards for teaching evolution in New Mexico schools? What is the National Science Teachers Association's position on teaching evolution in schools? What issues ad challenges do science teachers in New Mexico and around the nation face when teaching evolution?
Readings for this session are available on the Colloquium web site at http://www.nsta.org/positionstatement&id=10 and http://books.nap.edu/html/evolution98/evol4.html.
All sessions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Smith at 505-562-2662 (jonathan.smith1@enmu.edu).