National Center for Science Education
Encyclopedia
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California
affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science
. It is the United States
' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes the teaching of religious
views in science
classes in America
's public schools. It also is coordinating Project Steve
.
, a veteran high-school teacher in Iowa, began to organize statewide Committees of Correspondence "committed to the defense of education in evolutionary theory," modelled upon the committees of correspondence in pre-Revolutionary America. Their purpose was to keep interested parties informed about creationist endeavours and to share ideas for responses, allowing a political response at a local level. This grew into volunteer networks in most states, with the Creation/Evolution Newsletter interconnecting them, which was incorporated as the NCSE in 1983. In 1987, author and lecturer Eugenie Scott
, who holds a PhD
in Physical Anthropology
, became its executive director. The Board of Directors and official supporters, as explained by NCSE, "reflects our scientific roots."
In the 1990s, based upon its monitoring of creationist efforts, it issued warnings of high levels of official anti-evolutionism and a "sharp surge upwards" in creationist attacks on evolution, including attempts to downgrade evolution from "fact" to "theory" (see evolution as theory and fact) or present the "evidence against evolution" (see objections to evolution
).
The organization's supporters include Bruce Alberts
, former President of the National Academy of Sciences
; Donald Johanson
, discoverer of the "Lucy
" fossil; and evolutionary biologist Francisco J. Ayala
. Also the late paleontologist and writer Stephen Jay Gould
was a long-time supporter. As of 2008, the group has over 4000 members who are "scientists, teachers, clergy, and citizens with diverse religious affiliations."
describes its website as being one of "the two best resources on the Internet on the evolution/creation topic" (the other being TalkOrigins Archive
). Consequently, the NCSE also opposes intelligent design
and other "alternatives" to evolution
because they are misleading euphemisms for creationism.
NCSE "is religiously neutral, though it cooperates nationally and locally with religious organizations, as well as scientific and educational organizations like the National Academy of Sciences
, the National Association of Biology Teachers
, and the National Science Teachers Association
." Its willingness to engage positively with, and avoid taking sides against, religiously minded supporters of evolution has been noted by prominent historian of creationism Ronald L. Numbers and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins
.
The NCSE offers a variety of lecturers, including biologists, anthropologists, philosophers, and theologians, for topics relating to evolution, science, and education. Also it hosts activities including trips and conferences. It publishes Reports of the National Center for Science Education bimonthly, containing book reviews and news. Additionally, it publishes books, such as a compilation of scientific analyses of creationist books.
In 2003, the NCSE gained international attention with Project Steve
.
In 2005 the NCSE assisted the plaintiffs in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the most prominent case testing the constitutionality of intelligent design in public school science classes, and put their extensive library of creationist materials at the plaintiffs' disposal. Nick Matzke
, the NCSE's Public Information Project Director at the time, served as liaison to the legal team, and was responsible for uncovering the substitution of "intelligent design" for "creationism" within drafts of Of Pandas and People
, which became a devastating part of the testimony of Barbara Forrest
(also an NCSE Director), and was cited extensively in Judge John E. Jones III
's decision.
In April 2008, the NCSE launched "Expelled Exposed," a website critical of the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed starring Ben Stein
. The website received press attention and a large amount of traffic.
, as NCSE spokesperson, twice in 2001 debating intelligent design creationist William A. Dembski
. Then in 2004, NCSE was represented by Scott on Penn and Teller's Showtime television show Bullshit!
on the episode "Creationism". Scott offered scientific views about the creationist and intelligent design movements. She noted, "it would be unfair to tell students that there is a serious dispute going on among scientists whether evolution took place. There's not." She further noted that "a lot of the time the creationists... they'll search through scientific journals and try to pull out something they think demonstrates evolution doesn't work and there is a kind of interesting rationale behind it. Their theology is such that if one thing is wrong with the Bible you have to throw it all out so that's why Genesis has to be interpreted literally. They look at science the same way. If one little piece of the evolutionary puzzle doesn't fit the whole thing has to go." Scott then explained "that's not the way science is done."
In November 2007 Scott discussed the NCSE's exploration of intelligent design
on the NOVA
documentary Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial
, which documented Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
.
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
. It is the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes the teaching of religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
views in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
classes in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's public schools. It also is coordinating Project Steve
Project Steve
Project Steve is a list of scientists with the given name Steven or a variation thereof who "support evolution"...
.
History
In 1980 Stanley L. WeinbergStanley L. Weinberg
Stanley L. Weinberg was the founder of the National Center for Science Education.-External links:* by Eugenie C. Scott, Executive Director of NCSE....
, a veteran high-school teacher in Iowa, began to organize statewide Committees of Correspondence "committed to the defense of education in evolutionary theory," modelled upon the committees of correspondence in pre-Revolutionary America. Their purpose was to keep interested parties informed about creationist endeavours and to share ideas for responses, allowing a political response at a local level. This grew into volunteer networks in most states, with the Creation/Evolution Newsletter interconnecting them, which was incorporated as the NCSE in 1983. In 1987, author and lecturer Eugenie Scott
Eugenie Scott
Eugenie Carol Scott is an American physical anthropologist who has been the executive director of the National Center for Science Education since 1987...
, who holds a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Physical Anthropology
Physical anthropology
Biological anthropology is that branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species. It plays an important part in paleoanthropology and in forensic anthropology...
, became its executive director. The Board of Directors and official supporters, as explained by NCSE, "reflects our scientific roots."
In the 1990s, based upon its monitoring of creationist efforts, it issued warnings of high levels of official anti-evolutionism and a "sharp surge upwards" in creationist attacks on evolution, including attempts to downgrade evolution from "fact" to "theory" (see evolution as theory and fact) or present the "evidence against evolution" (see objections to evolution
Objections to evolution
Objections to evolution have been raised since evolutionary ideas came to prominence in the 19th century. When Charles Darwin published his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, his theory of evolution by natural selection initially met opposition from scientists with different theories, but came to...
).
The organization's supporters include Bruce Alberts
Bruce Alberts
Bruce Michael Alberts is an American biochemist known for his work in science public policy and as an original author of the Molecular Biology of the Cell...
, former President of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
; Donald Johanson
Donald Johanson
Donald Carl Johanson is an American paleoanthropologist. Along with Maurice Taieb, and Yves Coppens he is known for the discovery of the skeleton of the female hominid australopithecine known as "Lucy", in the Afar Triangle region of Hadar, Ethiopia.-Early years:Johanson was born in Chicago,...
, discoverer of the "Lucy
Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct hominid that lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago. A. afarensis was slenderly built, like the younger Australopithecus africanus. It is thought that A...
" fossil; and evolutionary biologist Francisco J. Ayala
Francisco J. Ayala
Francisco José Ayala Pereda is a Spanish-American biologist and philosopher at the University of California, Irvine. He is a former Dominican priest, ordained in 1960, but left the priesthood that same year. After graduating from the University of Salamanca, he moved to the US in 1961 to study for...
. Also the late paleontologist and writer Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
was a long-time supporter. As of 2008, the group has over 4000 members who are "scientists, teachers, clergy, and citizens with diverse religious affiliations."
Activities and programs
The NCSE acts as a central information and resource clearinghouse, and helps to coordinate the activities of people fighting creationists. It maintains up-to-date listings of current events and information regarding creationist endeavours and evolution education. Historian of science Michael ShermerMichael Shermer
Michael Brant Shermer is an American science writer, historian of science, founder of The Skeptics Society, and Editor in Chief of its magazine Skeptic, which is largely devoted to investigating pseudoscientific and supernatural claims. The Skeptics Society currently has over 55,000 members...
describes its website as being one of "the two best resources on the Internet on the evolution/creation topic" (the other being TalkOrigins Archive
TalkOrigins Archive
The TalkOrigins Archive is a website that presents mainstream science perspectives on the antievolution claims of young-earth, old-earth, and "intelligent design" creationists...
). Consequently, the NCSE also opposes intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
and other "alternatives" to evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
because they are misleading euphemisms for creationism.
NCSE "is religiously neutral, though it cooperates nationally and locally with religious organizations, as well as scientific and educational organizations like the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, the National Association of Biology Teachers
National Association of Biology Teachers
The National Association of Biology Teachers is an American-based scholarly society that "empowers educators to provide the best possible biology and life science education for all students."...
, and the National Science Teachers Association
National Science Teachers Association
The National Science Teachers Association , founded in 1944 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is an association of science teachers in the United States and is the largest organization of science teachers worldwide...
." Its willingness to engage positively with, and avoid taking sides against, religiously minded supporters of evolution has been noted by prominent historian of creationism Ronald L. Numbers and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
.
The NCSE offers a variety of lecturers, including biologists, anthropologists, philosophers, and theologians, for topics relating to evolution, science, and education. Also it hosts activities including trips and conferences. It publishes Reports of the National Center for Science Education bimonthly, containing book reviews and news. Additionally, it publishes books, such as a compilation of scientific analyses of creationist books.
In 2003, the NCSE gained international attention with Project Steve
Project Steve
Project Steve is a list of scientists with the given name Steven or a variation thereof who "support evolution"...
.
In 2005 the NCSE assisted the plaintiffs in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the most prominent case testing the constitutionality of intelligent design in public school science classes, and put their extensive library of creationist materials at the plaintiffs' disposal. Nick Matzke
Nick Matzke
Nicholas J. Matzke is the former Public Information Project Director at the National Center for Science Education and served an instrumental role in NCSE's preparation for the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial...
, the NCSE's Public Information Project Director at the time, served as liaison to the legal team, and was responsible for uncovering the substitution of "intelligent design" for "creationism" within drafts of Of Pandas and People
Of Pandas and People
Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins is a controversial 1989 school-level textbook written by Percival Davis and Dean H. Kenyon and published by the Texas-based Foundation for Thought and Ethics...
, which became a devastating part of the testimony of Barbara Forrest
Barbara Forrest
Barbara Carroll Forrest is a professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. She is a critic of intelligent design and the Discovery Institute.- Biography :...
(also an NCSE Director), and was cited extensively in Judge John E. Jones III
John E. Jones III
John Edward Jones III is an American lawyer and jurist from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A Republican, Jones was appointed by President George W. Bush as federal judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in February 2002 and was unanimously confirmed by...
's decision.
In April 2008, the NCSE launched "Expelled Exposed," a website critical of the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed starring Ben Stein
Ben Stein
Benjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
. The website received press attention and a large amount of traffic.
Media
Scott appeared on Uncommon KnowledgeUncommon Knowledge
Uncommon Knowledge was a weekly 30-minute current affairs show hosted by Peter Robinson and co-produced and presented by San Jose, California, PBS member station KTEH from 1997 to 2005...
, as NCSE spokesperson, twice in 2001 debating intelligent design creationist William A. Dembski
William A. Dembski
William Albert "Bill" Dembski is an American proponent of intelligent design, well known for promoting the concept of specified complexity...
. Then in 2004, NCSE was represented by Scott on Penn and Teller's Showtime television show Bullshit!
Bullshit!
Penn & Teller: Bullshit! is an American documentary television series that aired from 2003 to 2010 on the premium cable channel Showtime. In Canada, the series aired on The Movie Network and Movie Central.- Overview :...
on the episode "Creationism". Scott offered scientific views about the creationist and intelligent design movements. She noted, "it would be unfair to tell students that there is a serious dispute going on among scientists whether evolution took place. There's not." She further noted that "a lot of the time the creationists... they'll search through scientific journals and try to pull out something they think demonstrates evolution doesn't work and there is a kind of interesting rationale behind it. Their theology is such that if one thing is wrong with the Bible you have to throw it all out so that's why Genesis has to be interpreted literally. They look at science the same way. If one little piece of the evolutionary puzzle doesn't fit the whole thing has to go." Scott then explained "that's not the way science is done."
In November 2007 Scott discussed the NCSE's exploration of intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
on the NOVA
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
documentary Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial
Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial
Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial is an award-winning NOVA documentary on the case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, which concentrated on the question of whether or not intelligent design could be viewed as science and taught in school science class...
, which documented Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
Tammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al. was the first direct challenge brought in the United States federal courts testing a public school district policy that required the teaching of intelligent design...
.
Directors
- Barbara ForrestBarbara ForrestBarbara Carroll Forrest is a professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. She is a critic of intelligent design and the Discovery Institute.- Biography :...
— Southeastern Louisiana University - Martha J. Heil — American Institute of Physics
- Michael McIlwrath — Uff. Legale Nuove Pignone
- Andrew J. Petto — University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
- Frank J. Sonleitner — University of Oklahoma, Norman
- Lorne TrottierLorne TrottierLorne M. Trottier, CM is a co-founder of Matrox, a computer corporation that specializes in computer graphics.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Trottier graduated from Baron Byng High School and thereafter received a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering in 1970 and a Masters of Engineering in...
— co-founder of Matrox - Bernard Winograd, Prudential Financial
Officers
- President: Kevin PadianKevin PadianKevin Padian is a Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, Curator of Paleontology, University of California Museum of Paleontology and President of the National Center for Science Education. Padian's area of interest is in vertebrate evolution, especially the...
— University of California, Berkeley - Vice President Brian AltersBrian AltersBrian J. Alters is an Associate Professor of Education and Sir William Dawson Scholar at McGill University, where he also holds the Tomlinson Chair in Science Education and is both founder and Director of the Evolution Education Research Centre...
, McGill University - Past President: Jack B. Friedman — Nassau Community College
- Secretary-Treasurer: Robert M. West — Informal Learning Experiences, Inc.
Staff
- Executive Director: Eugenie C. Scott
- Deputy Director: Glenn BranchGlenn BranchGlenn Branch is the Deputy Director of the National Center for Science Education and a prominent critic of creationism and its offshoot, intelligent design...
- Director of Operations: Philip T. Spieth
- Director of Communications: Robert Luhn
- Programs and Policy Director:
- Joshua Rosenau
- Steven Newton
- Director, Religious Community Outreach: Peter M. J. Hess
- Education Project Director: Louise S. Mead
- Outreach Coordinator: Eric Meikle
- Archivist: Charles Hargrove
Supporters
- Bruce AlbertsBruce AlbertsBruce Michael Alberts is an American biochemist known for his work in science public policy and as an original author of the Molecular Biology of the Cell...
— University of California, San Francisco - Francisco J. AyalaFrancisco J. AyalaFrancisco José Ayala Pereda is a Spanish-American biologist and philosopher at the University of California, Irvine. He is a former Dominican priest, ordained in 1960, but left the priesthood that same year. After graduating from the University of Salamanca, he moved to the US in 1961 to study for...
— University of California, Irvine - Frederick BorschFrederick BorschFrederick Houk Borsch was the Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles from 1988 to 2002, then served as interim dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University and Chair of Anglican studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia...
— Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia - Stephen G. Brush — University of Maryland
- Sean B. CarrollSean B. CarrollSean B. Carroll is a Professor of Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Medical Genetics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He studies the evolution of cis-regulation in the context of biological development, using Drosophila as a model system...
— University of Wisconsin, Madison - Johnnetta B. Cole — Bennett College
- Joel Cracraft — American Museum of Natural History
- Brent DalrympleBrent DalrympleG. Brent Dalrymple is an American geologist, author of The Age of the Earth and Ancient Earth, Ancient Skies, and National Medal of Science winner....
— Oregon State University - James E. Darnell, Jr. — Rockefeller University
- Richard E. Dickerson — University of California, Los Angeles
- Robert H. Dott, Jr. — University of Wisconsin, Madison
- James D. EbertJames D. EbertJames David Ebert was an American biologist and administrator.-Career:Ebert was trained at Johns Hopkins University as a PhD embryologist and came into embryology at the end of the era of descriptive embryology. His own studies of the chick embryo culminated in the book "Interacting Systems in...
† — Chesapeake Institute of Johns Hopkins University - Niles EldredgeNiles EldredgeNiles Eldredge is an American paleontologist, who, along with Stephen Jay Gould, proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium in 1972.-Education:...
— American Museum of Natural History - Milton Fingerman — Tulane University
- Douglas J. FutuymaDouglas J. FutuymaDouglas Joel Futuyma is an American biologist.-Academics:Futuyma graduated with a B.S. from Cornell University, and took his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the interaction between plant-eating insects and the plants themselves. He was Lawrence B...
— University of Michigan - Alfred G. GilmanAlfred G. GilmanAlfred Goodman Gilman is an American pharmacologist and biochemist. He shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Martin Rodbell for their discoveries regarding G-proteins....
— University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Laurie Godfrey — University of Massachusetts
- Stephen Jay GouldStephen Jay GouldStephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
† — Harvard University - Donald Hornig — Harvard University
- Norman H. Horowitz† — California Institute of Technology
- Clark HowellClark HowellClark Howell was a Pulitzer Prize winning American newspaper man and politician from the state of Georgia.-Biography:Howell was born on September 21, 1863 in Atlanta, Georgia...
† — University of California, Berkeley - Duane E. Jeffery — Brigham Young University
- Donald JohansonDonald JohansonDonald Carl Johanson is an American paleoanthropologist. Along with Maurice Taieb, and Yves Coppens he is known for the discovery of the skeleton of the female hominid australopithecine known as "Lucy", in the Afar Triangle region of Hadar, Ethiopia.-Early years:Johanson was born in Chicago,...
— Institute for Human Origins - Patricia Kelley — University of North Carolina, Wilmington
- Philip Kitcher — Columbia University
- Richard C. Lewontin — Harvard University
- Paul MacCreadyPaul MacCreadyPaul B. MacCready, Jr. was an American aeronautical engineer. He was the founder of AeroVironment and the designer of the human-powered aircraft that won the Kremer prize...
† — Aerovironment, Inc. - Lynn MargulisLynn MargulisLynn Margulis was an American biologist and University Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is best known for her theory on the origin of eukaryotic organelles, and her contributions to the endosymbiotic theory, which is now generally accepted...
, University of Massachusetts - Malcolm McKennaMalcolm McKennaMalcolm Carnegie McKenna was an American paleontologist. He was the curator of vertebrate paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History and co-authored the book Classification of Mammals along with Susan K. Bell...
† — American Museum of Natural History - Keith B. MillerKeith B. MillerKeith Brady Miller is professor of geology at Kansas State University in the United States. He is editor of Perspectives on an Evolving Creation , an anthology of essays by prominent evangelical Christian scientists who accept theistic evolution .He is also a prominent board member of the Kansas...
— Kansas State University - Kenneth R. MillerKenneth R. MillerKenneth Raymond Miller is a biology professor at Brown University. Miller, who is Roman Catholic, is particularly known for his opposition to creationism, including the intelligent design movement...
— Brown University - John A. Moore† — University of California, Riverside
- David MorrisonDavid MorrisonLieutenant General David Lindsay Morrison AO is a senior officer within the Australian Army, currently serving in the position of Chief of Army.-Early life and career:...
— NASA Ames - Dorothy NelkinDorothy NelkinDorothy Wolfers Nelkin was an American sociologist of science most noted for her work researching and chronicling the unsettled relationship between science and society at large. Her work often drew attention to the ramifications of unchecked scientific advances and the unwariness of the public...
† — New York University - Bill NyeBill NyeWilliam Sanford "Bill" Nye , popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American science educator, comedian, television host, actor, mechanical engineer, and scientist...
— TV Scientist - William S. PollitzerWilliam S. PollitzerDr. William Sprott Pollitzer was an US anatomist. He was a professor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and past president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists , and the Human Biology Council .The William S. Pollitzer Prize was created in honor of him.- External...
† — University of North Carolina - Robert L. Park — University of Maryland
- Joseph E. Rall† — National Institutes of Health
- James RandiJames RandiJames Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
— James Randi Educational Foundation - Michael RuseMichael RuseMichael Ruse is a philosopher of biology at Florida State University, and is well known for his work on the creationism/evolution controversy and the demarcation problem in science...
— Florida State University - James W. Skehan, S.J. — Weston Observatory
- Elliott SoberElliott SoberElliott Sober is Hans Reichenbach Professor and William F. Vilas Research Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Sober is noted for his work in philosophy of biology and general philosophy of science. Sober taught for one year at Stanford University and has...
— University of Wisconsin, Madison - Frank Sonleitner — University of Oklahoma
- Richard Stucky — Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Neil deGrasse TysonNeil deGrasse TysonNeil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, a science communicator, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History...
— American Museum of Natural History - Marvalee Wake — University of California, Berkeley
- Mary Jane West-EberhardMary Jane West-EberhardMary Jane West-Eberhard is an American theoretical biologist noted for arguing that phenotypic and developmental plasticity played a key role in shaping animal evolution and speciation...
— Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteSmithsonian Tropical Research InstituteThe Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, the only bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States, is dedicated to understanding biological diversity. What began in 1923 as small field station on Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal Zone has developed... - Tim D. White — University of California, Berkeley
- [† = deceased]