Do American high school Physics teachers still tiptoe around—or avoid discussing altogether—Copernicus’ radical observation that the earth is not the center of the universe? Do they address Newton’s laws, or gravity, as “mere theories” that must be balanced with alternative viewpoints? No? Why then, do 60% of American high school Biology teachers (according to a national survey published in the journal Science last week) feel uncomfortable about teaching Evolution, the facts and the theory of which form the very foundation of modern biology? Why do 13% of them actively teach creationism in the science classroom, despite court rulings that creationism is not a science and does not belong in the classroom?

This Friday, on the eve of Charles Darwin’s 202nd birthday, join us in a discussion with a panel of high school teachers and biology professors to address these important questions about the state of science education in the US, its relevance to the state of science literacy and education here in the central valley, and what we may do about it.