What follows is an initial report on the event held May 2nd. A more thorough report, as well as pictures and audio, will be available soon.
In a packed lecture hall in Columbia University’s Pupin
Hall, approximately 300 people gathered for ‘An Evening with Niles Eldredge’
sponsored by the World Can’t Wait ( Drive Out the Bush Regime. Niles Eldredge, a signer of the World Can’t
Wait Call, is the curator of the Darwin Exhibit at the American Museum
of Natural History, the curator of the Paleontology division at the same
museum, and a very prominent scientist in his own right.
Sunsara Taylor introduced the event, giving a compact and
wide-ranging overview of the relationship between the attacks coming down on
science and the overall Bush Program.
She implored people to join up with and contribute to the movement to
Drive Out the Bush Regime. David
Helfand, the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Columbia, introduced Dr. Eldredge. Helfand provided a very stirring and very funny
introduction to the attacks on science specifically, especially around
abstinence only programs ( and delivered some very memorable lines, such as
recommending that the ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act should be called ‘No Child
Left Behind on the Road to Fascism.’
Dr. Eldredge then gave a very open-ended opening
presentation, speaking to why he sees the need to be involved in this movement
and the connection between politics and science. He also spoke to the need for students to
really take up political action in these times and the need to improve science
education for people broadly. His opening
comments were brief so as to open up the floor for a lively question and answer
that ranged from âhow is this different from the Reagan years,’ âwhat is the potential of science being fully
accepted by society,’ and questions around the science of evolution and
different understandings of evolution.
The room was full with many professors from Columbia and other universities, a number of
students, general public, as well as World Can’t Wait organizers. It provided a great venue for getting into
questions around science and the politics dealing with it and a great way to
connect many people to the movement to drive out the Bush Regime.
A more thorough report, as well as pictures and audio, will be available soon.