The executive director of the National Center for Science Education joked between Lawrence speaking engagements Wednesday that she is an "evangelist for evolution."
After speaking to a group of future science teachers at Kansas University, Eugenie Scott said during a Journal-World interview, "I'm comforting the afflicted. Maybe tonight I'll afflict the comfortable."
She lectured Wednesday evening at Plymouth Congregational Church in downtown Lawrence.
Scott, who has been at the forefront of the battle against creationism, said creationists put together a successful strategy in Kansas to win a battle against teaching evolutionary science in public schools.
"It will have the effect they seek, which is to reduce the teaching of evolution," she said.
One impact may be that teachers and school boards will feel intimidated by community members because "they don't have the protection of the state standards," Scott said.
And that lessens the quality of science education.
"Evolution makes biology and geology and astronomy make sense," she said. "It ties together the major strands of science."
To imagine teaching science without evolution, "imagine teaching chemistry without the periodic table," Scott said.
Kansans' best opportunity to change the Kansas State Board of Education's decision to write most of evolution out of science curriculum standards for public schools will come at the ballot box in November 2000.
"If new people are elected, it might be possible to reopen the standards," she said.
The state standards, which are to take effect in 2001, determine what topics students are tested on during exams to check their progress through the school system.
Creationists are asking science to perform a task it is not meant to, Scott said.
"Science tells us what happened, not who done it." she said. "Determining the ultimate cause is not in our job description."
-- Erwin Seba's phone message number is 832-7145. His e-mail address is eseba@ljworld.com.
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