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Pennsylvania is no stranger to controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution. When the school district in the town of Dover required creationism be taught alongside evolution, it sparked a national debate. Ultimately, a federal court ruled that intelligent design is religious theory and not a part of science.
Eight years later, a study by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has found faith-based theories are still taught in Pennsylvania public schools and evolution often isn’t taught robustly, if at all.
Science experts say it’s an issue much larger than one state. Is evolution, despite being a required field of study, still not being properly taught in some public schools?
We’ll talk to a leading biology textbook author, and to a former teacher here in Connecticut who left his job because the administration didn’t want him talking about Charles Darwin in class.
And, we want to end with something that our next guest hopes is part of future science education: Green Chemistry.
Paul Anastas asked the question: Is it possible to design chemical products manufacturing processes that reduce or eliminate the need for hazardous substances?
Anastas thinks says so. He recently said the world is on an “unsustainable trajectory.” But he’s got a plan to address it.
He’s has been pushing for safer principals in business and manufacturing with Green Chemistry, a term he coined while working at the Environmental Protection Agency.
He’s the founder of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale.
