See OESE web site for news, links, resources… and more. Need a speaker for your group or organization? Or join OESE!
http://www.oklascience.org/
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In This Posting:
1. THIS LIST SERVE WILL NOW INCLUDE INFORMATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE.
The current controversy about climate change includes much anti-science content and bears some resemblance to the coverage of evolution in the popular press. Following the lead of the National Center for Science Education , Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education decided to include climate change as an emphasis in addition to evolution. See HERE for NCSE statement on why they decided to include climate as a major topic. To that end, a climatologist was added recently to the OESE Board and future activities will address climate when appropriate. This list serve will follow suit.
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2. OESE BOARD MEMBER AND SCIENCE TEACHER WINS NATIONAL AWARD.
Bethany Lorenz, recently elected as a Board member of OESE and a biology teacher at Putnam City North High School was named as the 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Oklahoma given by the National Association of Biology Teachers. The award is given for exemplary practice in the teaching of life science. Bethany is a nationally board-certified teacher, graduated from Oklahoma State University and is working on a master’s degree in educational leadership at the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a proponent of inquiry learning and believes “that all students can learn. They may learn at different rates, but they all have the capacity to learn.”
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3. FREE PDF ON “OUR CHANGING CLIMATE.”
NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview (PDF) of Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch’s How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming (Dawn Publications, 2008), a book on climate change aimed at readers in grades 4 through 8. The preview consists of a discussion of how scientists — and kids! — are investigating changes in bird migration and flower budding in response to climate change, as well as a discussion of the reader’s “climate footprint” (“the amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases you create as you go about your life day to day”) and ways to minimize it.
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4. TEACHERS’ EVOLUTION WORKSHOP 2012 – STILL HAS OPENINGS!
Evolution in Oklahoma and Texas Science Classes
Who: High school science teachers and college majors in science education from Oklahoma and northern Texas (approximately from Texarkana, to Dallas-Fort Worth and suburbs to Wichita Falls, Texas) When: Friday Oct. 5 (6:00 PM) through Sunday Oct. 7, 2012 (3:00 PM) Where: The University of Oklahoma Biological Station on Lake Texoma, OK
Topics covered will include:
· The nature of science and latest developments in evolutionary biology
· Curriculum development and state standards
· Resources on teaching evolution for teachers
· Discussion of participants’ favorite lesson plans and classroom experiences
· Dealing with classroom and community controversy
· Legislation and the political landscape.
Participants will earn a certificate of participation for professional development credit.
Instructors include:
· Dr. Julie Angle (Teaching and Curriculum Leadership, OSU)
· Dr. Richard Broughton (Zoology, OU)
· Dr. Ola Fincke (Zoology, OU)
· Dr. Victor Hutchison (Zoology, OU)
· Dr. Cecil Lewis (Anthropology, OU)
· Dr. Joseph Maness (Biological Sciences, Southwestern OSU)
· Bob Melton (Science Curriculum Specialist, Putnam City Schools)
· Dr. Stanley Rice (Biological Sciences, Southeastern OSU)
All materials (including two books on teaching evolution), accommodations, and meals at the UOBS are included. The only cost for participants is a $25 registration fee. Registration deadline is Sept. 14, 2012. Early registration is advised as places are limited to 30 registrants.
Further information, registration forms and payment information are on-line at: www.oklascience.org/teachers.pdf and at www.ou.edu/uobs/teachers.htm.
Presented by Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education, the National Science Foundation (NSF-0845314), and the University of Oklahoma Biological Station.
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5. FEDERAL COURT RULES AGAINST ATTACK ON CLIMATE SCIENCE.
From New York Times: “A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a finding by the Environmental Protection Agency that heat-trapping gases from industry and vehicles endanger public health, dealing a decisive blow to companies and states that had sued to block agency rules.”
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6. POLLING CLIMATE CHANGE IN THREE COUNTRIES.
From NCSE: “While a majority of Canadians say that climate change is a fact and is caused by emissions, only two-in-five Americans and Britons concur,” according to a June 27, 2012, press release from Angus Reid Public Opinion. Respondents were asked, “Which of the following statements comes closest to your view of global warming (or climate change)?” “Global warming is a fact and is mostly caused by emissions from vehicles and industrial facilities” was preferred by 58% of Canadians, 42% of Americans, and 43% of Britons; “global warming is a fact and is mostly caused by natural changes” was preferred by 20% of Canadians, 21% of Americans, and 27% of Britons; “global warming is a theory that has not yet been proven” was preferred by 14% of Canadians, 21% of Americans, and 21% of Britons; and 8% of Canadians, 16% of Americans, and 9% of Britons were not sure.
The full report from Angus Reid also includes (PDF) data showing the variance among different regions in all three countries
“While a majority of Canadians say that climate change is a fact and is caused by emissions, only two-in-five Americans and Britons concur,” according to a June 27, 2012, press release from Angus Reid Public Opinion. Respondents were asked, “Which of the following statements comes closest to your view of global warming (or climate change)?” “Global warming is a fact and is mostly caused by emissions from vehicles and industrial facilities” was preferred by 58% of Canadians, 42% of Americans, and 43% of Britons; “global warming is a fact and is mostly caused by natural changes” was preferred by 20% of Canadians, 21% of Americans, and 27% of Britons; “global warming is a theory that has not yet been proven” was preferred by 14% of Canadians, 21% of Americans, and 21% of Britons; and 8% of Canadians, 16% of Americans, and 9% of Britons were not sure.
The full report from Angus Reid also includes (PDF) data showing the variance among different regions in all three countries ….”