A Darwin’s Day event was held at the University of Wyoming Geological Museum on Saturday where the focus was on making research available and the studies of graduate students. Stations were scattered throughout the museum displays for inquisitive patrons to ask questions and learn about evolutionary processes.
The event is hosted in honor of the Charles Darwin, whose book “Origin of Species” forever altered biological science studies, said Tyler Kerr, a graduate student involved with organizing the event..
“Every year, there’s an annual celebration of Darwin’s Day around this time of year,” Kerr said. “We want to promote science in the education world, and to promote it to all sorts of people.”
Jonathan Hoffman, another graduate student, said he thinks the event is part of a new demand for science education outreach throughout the nation. With media attention focused on both education standard lawsuits and Bill Nye versus Ken Ham public debates, the timing of the Darwin Day event is not necessarily coincidental.
“Even at this national, grand level the idea of communicating to the public what we’re doing and how science operates has really been brought to the forefront,” said Hoffman, another organizer of the event.
In Wyoming specifically, there is controversy in regards to the possible adoption of a set of new science standards called New Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which are a part of the Common Core Standard curriculum.
Some citizen organizations oppose the adoption of the standards, citing their concern at the promotion of an “atheistic worldview” that they feel the standards purport.
Hoffman said he thinks the aversion felt by certain groups of people to scientific theories such as evolution and the Big Bang is somewhat the fault of the scientific community.
“We’ve done a lousy job historically of effectively communicating our ideas to the public,” Hoffman said. “I think there has been certainly a little of that Ivory Tower syndrome, a reluctance to really communicate to the public to begin with.”
The recent push for more effective public relations from the science community in the last decade is in direct response to Creationist-oriented bills that has been introduced to legislative bodies, particularly in the environment of public education, Hoffman said.
Hoffman cited a recently passed law in Louisiana where the government provides vouchers to families whose child attends a school that has been given the educational rating of a C or less. The families may then use the state funds to attend a private school with a higher rating.
“Those schools can get vouchers to spend on whatever textbooks they want,” said Hoffman. “So you have a situation where schools are using tax payer money that comes from the state to purchase Creationist leaning textbooks.”
Legislation such as the new Louisiana voucher law concerns many members of the scientific community. This has led to the rise in scientifically educational events, such as Darwin Day.
