The recent state Board of Education decision to downplay the teaching of evolution in public schools has many thinking the Kansas welcome mat for science has been put away.
But several planned events at Kansas University show regard for science and science teaching remains alive and well.
In his convocation address to faculty and staff on Sept. 8, Chancellor Robert Hemenway will discuss KU's role in promoting science literacy among its students.
"I'm going to challenge the faculty to say how well prepared are people when they leave the University of Kansas to deal with complex scientific issues," Hemenway said.
Hemenway's speech is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in 130 Budig Hall.
Also, on Sept. 8, Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, will speak to an ecology and evolutionary biology graduate class at 1005 Haworth Hall.
Scott said she will put the evolution and creationism debate in a national context during that speech. The time for the speech has yet to be decided.
Later that night, Scott will give a public lecture on the same topic at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt. It begins at 7:30.
The lecture is titled, "Creation? Evolution? Neither? Both?"
"It will be more of a contextual presentation," she said. "I'll go into the history of the controversy and point out ways of resolving it."
In October, Harvard University biologist and popular science writer Stephen Jay Gould is scheduled to speak at the Lied Center. Gould's appearance was scheduled more than a year ago.
-- Erwin Seba's phone message number is 832-7145. His e-mail address is eseba@ljworld.com.
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