A University of Florida professor will give a speech today (3 p.m. at Pugh Hall, Room 120 and is free and open to the public) about public school students not getting quite enough perspective of the history of science. Missing out on that vital aspect can have dire results.
A historical perspective should be used to guide modern decisions and to help avoid making similar mistakes, she said.
[Linda Cronin] Jones believes the example of Galileo, who was forced by the church to recant his statement about the sun being the center of the solar system, should serve as a warning against government using religion to interfere with progress.
“We are facing the same kind of threat to scientific inquiry today,” Jones said. “The president of the greatest country in the world doesn’t believe in evolution despite the overwhelming evidence.”
Is anyone going to this? I would really love to hear what she has to say but am definitely not able to attend.
Kathy
Sorry, no time for that. We got the FCAT to teach.
I forget where I heard the quote, but…
“Those who know their history are condemned to watch those who don’t repeat it.”
I work for a high-tech company in the Orlando area. A few weeks ago, some of the managers spent some time in Gainesville collecting resumes of Masters and PhD level engineering students to potentially fill some positions here upon their graduation from UofF.
The good news for our organization is that they came back with a stack of resumes an inch and a half thick.
The disturbing news is that roughly 2% of the resumes belonged to US-born students.
The disturbing news is that roughly 2% of the resumes belonged to US-born students
The Discovery Institute and the fundamentalists in organizations like the Texas SBOE are helping to concede American scientific prowess and leadership to other countries. This fact alone makes them domestic enemies of the United States. Not that I have a strong opinion on the subject….
While the politicians rant about “exporting jobs,” without acknowledging that their policies are to blame, we are also “exporting brains.” It’s becoming increasingly clear that if things don’t turn around, we are literally exporting the future.
One baby step at a time …