Department of Biology, 308.865.8912 or ericsonb@unk.edu
UNK– “Science Education: Caught in the Middle of the War Between Science and Religion” is the focus of a Sigma XI: The Scientific Research Society-sponsored presentation at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Thursday, Nov. 13 at 6PM, in Copeland Hall, Room 142.
The guest speaker, Dr. P.Z. Myers, is an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota – Morris. Dr. Myers’ research organism is squid, and his expertise is in evolutionary biology. The talk is free and open to the public.
In addition to the Thursday evening presentation, Dr. Myers will discuss his research with students in an 8 a.m. class Friday, Nov. 14. The class meets in Bruner Hall of Science, Room 203. The classroom presentation is titled: “The Pharyngula: How Ontogeny and Phylogeny Have Been Tangled From von Baer to Evo-devo With Awkward Detours to Haeckel and Creationism.” Dr. Myers is the author of the blog, Pharyngula (http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/).
Dr. Brad Ericson, UNK associate professor of biology, said, ” He (Dr. Myers) has the most popular science blog in the nation, called ‘Pharyngula.’ In 2006, the science journal ‘Nature’ listed it as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist. ‘Pharyngula’ also won the 2005 Koufax Award for Best Expert Blog.
“The blog topics are eclectic, delving into the nonscientific as well as scientific,” he said. “The blog has become particularly well-known for Myers’ writing style (characterized by sarcasm), and criticism of intelligent design and creationism.”
