The fact that Gov. Palin laughed off this line of research isn't
surprising. After all, Sen. McCain had his go at bear research, and
that was a large charismatic mammal project.
The political implications alone are troubling. The larger issue in my
mind is that this is a real reflection of the general lack of
understanding by the general public about what scientific research is
and isn't. Viewed alone, it might be pretty hard to justify research on
fruit flies to the average Joe (plumber or six-pack). Connect it with
autism or human health and then it becomes more palatable to the public.
However, it doesn't get there in the popular media, does it?
We're up against a real wall here, folks. As our economy gets more
turbulent there will be more uninformed remarks about research dollars
being spent on projects that the public has a hard time connecting with.
So where do we fight the good fight of science education? In schools?
In colleges? At home? I interact with *great* teachers that don't
understand scientific inquiry. The education system for our nations
teachers doesn't include much in the way of what science is for anyone
but actual science teachers in training (and that is sparse at best).
We should do what we can to diversify science courses in core curriculum
across all majors.
Sorry for the rambling email. This is a complicated problem that
consumes my daily 9-5 gig.
Yours in conservation and education,
--
Jason L. Kindall
Education & Research Director
Ozark Natural Science Center
1905 Madison 1305
Huntsville, AR 72740
Ph: 479-789-2754
Fax: 479-789-2728
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.onsc.us
Wendee Holtcamp wrote:
Palin gave a policy talk in which she ridiculed fruit fly research... which
is of course provided foundation of modern genetics. Now this does not
really surprise me for a creationist, but it does not bode well for science
funding should they get elected.
This has a clip:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/24/palin-fruit-flies/
“…sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do
with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid
you not.”
The irony is that some of this research on fruit flies has actually been
used to help understand autism, which was what her talk was actually on.
Wendee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wendee Holtcamp, M.S. Wildlife Ecology
Freelance Writer * Photographer * Bohemian
http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com
http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com
~~6-wk Online Writing Courses Starts Nov 8~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
