Florida Citizens for Science

An annoucement from the governor’s office says that a new member has been appointed to the state board of education.

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today appointed Peter Boulware, 33, of Tallahassee, to the State Board of Education.

“Peter will be a wonderful addition to the State Board of Education,” said Governor Crist. “As a former professional athlete and now as a businessman and father, he has proven himself to be a strong role model who values education and understands how important it is in bettering the lives of Floridians.”

I don’t know much about Boulware’s views on education. He had run for a Florida House seat, and still has an election website up. But the site is seriously devoid of any real information. The page about education merely says:

With three young children, Peter Boulware is wholeheartedly committed to improving Florida’s schools. Peter believes parents deserve more choice in their children’s education and will work hard to ensure that your tax dollars are well-spent in the classroom.

Not much to go off of, eh?

Edited to add: The Gradebook reminds us that a couple more state board of education seats are going to open up soon.

Two more seats come open at the end of December, when the terms of Roberto Martinez and Phoebe Raulerson expire.

Who’d want to serve on the board, especially now that Florida education faces what promise to be tough financial times?

Martinez and Raulerson, for two. Each has submitted an application for reappointment.

These look like very interesting talks that I would love to attend if I was in the area. Why don’t some of you folks go for me and report back how it went?

The second Scripps Florida discussion series, “At the Front Lines of Hope,” will offer a glimpse into cutting-edge research happening right here in Palm Beach County.

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[Dr. Charles] Weissmann, chairman of the Scripps Florida department of infectology, will give a talk on “The War Within Us: Infectious Agents and the Body’s Defenses,” at the first event, set for 5-7 p.m. Jan. 7 in Building B at 120 Scripps Way. A one-hour reception and virtual tour of the Scripps Florida facilities, programs and technology will precede Weissmann’s lecture and those of succeeding speakers.

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Although his talk will be limited to explaining basic science, Weissmann said he can offer a key piece of advice for the public: get vaccinated against diseases for which vaccines exist.

“Unfortunately in some places, for example like England, there is this contentious (belief) that vaccination causes autism,” which reduces vaccination rates for diseases such as the measles, Weissmann said.

Outbreaks of that disease are becoming more frequent.

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In February, Dr. Roy Smith, chairman of Scripps Florida’s new department of metabolism and aging, will discuss his work to identify ways to stop, at the molecular level, the decline of memory, immunity and growth hormone production that occurs as humans age. He joined the Scripps staff in August and is recruiting 11 faculty members for his department. His talk, set for Feb. 4, is titled “Turning Back the Clock: New Anti-Aging Research.”

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The discussions are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. To make reservations or for more information, contact Lisa Huertas at 228-2015 or lhuertas@scripps.edu.

But President Bush claims to be just fine and dandy with evolution.

[In an interview with ABC's "Nightline" on Monday] Asked about creation and evolution, Bush said, “I think you can have both. I think evolution can – you’re getting me way out of my lane here. I’m just a simple president. But it’s, I think that God created the earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don’t think it’s incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution.”