{"id":149,"date":"2007-02-06T09:28:07","date_gmt":"2007-02-06T13:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flascience.org\/wp\/?p=149"},"modified":"2008-08-05T12:17:23","modified_gmt":"2008-08-05T16:17:23","slug":"report-on-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=149","title":{"rendered":"Report on activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Report on Florida Citizens for Science<\/strong><\/p>\n

(This report is from Florida Citizens for Science president, Joe Wolf) <\/em>The recent State of the Union Message reminds us that I need to make a report to you on the state of Florida Citizens for Science.<\/p>\n

What we have done in 2006
\nEstablishment<\/strong>
\nFlorida Citizens for Science was established in 2006. A governing board was elected, officers were chosen, bylaws were created and approved, and a strategic plan was developed. We have brochures, a logo, a website, and a bank account. With that important work behind us now, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to look forward to the year ahead.<\/p>\n

Science standards review<\/strong>
\nWe started work on a new set of public school science standards last year and now we need to do some last bits of polishing before presenting them to the Department of Education at the appropriate time. These draft standards are looking very good. We presented an early draft to a think tank working on science education in Florida where it was well received.<\/p>\n

Plans for 2007 and needs
\nScience standards review<\/strong>
\nParticipating in this review of the state science standards will be one of our most prominent tasks this year. Besides presenting our own standards draft, we are also recruiting qualified people to apply for a seat on the Department of Education\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s review committee. If you want to play a role in these efforts, please speak up and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll put you to work. We are going to trust that our government will do the right thing, but we also stand ready to take action if things take a turn for the worst. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to need your voices if we have any hope of making enough noise to make a difference.<\/p>\n

Special project<\/strong>
\nAt the end of last year the board was working on hosting an essay contest for school children with a prize being a trip to the weeklong NASA space camp. We had received a donation to cover the prize expense. However, we determined that the timing wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t right and we weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ready to successfully launch the contest. We will continue planning it, though, and have it ready for the next school year. We are also on the lookout for any other opportunities to promote science education. Please pass along any ideas you may have.<\/p>\n

Surveying the membership\/encouraging involvement<\/strong>
\nOne important goal of 2007 will be growing the membership and encouraging involvement. We know that without a major controversy to launch people into action, most people interested in Florida Citizens for Science prefer to stay low key. However, we want to make sure we are ready for any future headline-making events. Creationists are working both publicly and privately to advance their agenda. Some of their work is on the state level but much is also on the local level. In order to counter their activities, we need to know the basics concerning who you are and where you are. Too much time could be wasted doing this homework right in the middle of a public debate. With your help, we can develop and maintain a Florida Citizens for Science network that is ready to jump into action as soon as trouble appears. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also important to have this network in place so that little sparks in any spot in the state can be quickly discovered and handled rather than catch us unawares. The bottom line is that we need you. Without an active membership Florida Citizens for Science can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be effective. In the near future we will sending out a survey for you to complete. This information will be strictly for internal use and not shared with anyone.<\/p>\n

Recruiting new members<\/strong>
\nWe also are asking that you spread the word about Florida Citizens for Science. Mention the organization to anyone who might have in interest in our stance and goals. Direct them to our website and encourage them to at least join our network, even if they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to be a dues-paying member. The more people we have out there, the greater the strength we can bring to bear on any problems across the state.<\/p>\n

Annual dues<\/strong>
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to collect annual dues. Dues are $20 and are negotiable for anyone with financial hardships. You can still be a part of our network without paying dues; however, paying dues gives you a stronger say in the direction of Florida Citizens for Science. You can vote for board members and even run for a seat yourself. To pay dues, send a check made out to Florida Citizens for Science to our treasurer Pete Dunkelberg (e-mail bhaught@flascience.org to get the address, please), or use the Paypal link on our website (you can pay with a credit\/debit card and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to have your own Paypal account). Dues will be used to fund things like costs associated with projects such as the science standards review (making copies, travel, etc.), maintaining the website, or hosting the annual membership meeting.<\/p>\n

Donations<\/strong>
\nBesides dues, we also gladly accept donations. As mentioned below, we would like to fund projects that show our commitment to science education while getting the Florida Citizens for Science name out there. We are currently working on establishing our organization as tax exempt.<\/p>\n

Visit the blog<\/strong>
\nBe sure to visit our blog throughout the week. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s regularly updated with news items related to Florida science or science education. Feel free to send any interesting tips to Brandon at bhaught@flascience.org for posting consideration. Also, any major controversies that crop up will be posted as an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153alert\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to the blog.<\/p>\n

Joe Wolf
\nPresident
\nFlorida Citizens for Science<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Report on Florida Citizens for Science (This report is from Florida Citizens for Science president, Joe Wolf) The recent State of the Union Message reminds us that I need to make a report to you on the state of Florida … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcZNLl-2p","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":334,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=334","url_meta":{"origin":149,"position":0},"title":"News Release: Standards can go from F to high B","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"December 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"The following news release was sent out today as a joint effort of Florida Citizens for Science and the National Center for Science Education. Prof. who flunked Florida science standards says new ones are shooting for an A Expert gave current statewide standards an F but new draft is \"a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In the News"","block_context":{"text":"In the News","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1511,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1511","url_meta":{"origin":149,"position":1},"title":"We need a better road map to science education success","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"April 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The following is a news release\/opinion piece approved by the Florida Citizens for Science board and submitted to newspapers across the state for their publishing consideration. We need a better road map to science education success Florida students have a destination they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re driving toward: a diploma that signifies they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re ready\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 7 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 7 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1511#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=92","url_meta":{"origin":149,"position":2},"title":"FlCfS annual meeting: President’s Report","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"November 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"I'll be reporting more on what happened during our annual membership meeting we had this past weekend as I get the time. For now, here is the President's Report Joe Wolf submitted: I would like to spend just a few minutes talking about what we have done this year and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FlCfS Business"","block_context":{"text":"FlCfS Business","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3419,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3419","url_meta":{"origin":149,"position":3},"title":"Will Florida science standards be revised?","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"February 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Gov. Ron DeSantis is making good on a campaign promise he made to launch a revision of the state's education standards. The headlines have been making a big deal out of his targeting of Common Core, such as this one: \"Florida governor Ron DeSantis orders state to get rid of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Our Science Standards"","block_context":{"text":"Our Science Standards","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":911,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=911","url_meta":{"origin":149,"position":4},"title":"Revising Florida\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s K-12 Science Standards","author":"Jonathan Smith","date":"February 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Paul Cottle who\u00c2\u00a0has been a champion in the fight for science education in the state of Florida has a excellent editorial in the \"American Physical Society Forum\"\u00c2\u00a0 Paul points out \"The shortcomings of the states\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 science standards were highlighted by comparisons like TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study),\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3384,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3384","url_meta":{"origin":149,"position":5},"title":"Gird up now thy loins","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"December 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Ahhh, winter break. I slept in this morning, leisurely checked a few things off my errands to-do list, and didn't worry about waiting for the class change bell to use the bathroom. Now that I'm relaxed and temporarily free of lesson planning and grading responsibilities, it's time to step back\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3384#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}