Activities and Programs
The NCSE acts as a central information and resource clearinghouse, and helps to coordinate the activities of people fighting creationists. It maintains up-to-date listings of current events and information regarding creationist endeavours and evolution education. Historian of science Michael Shermer describes its website as being one of "the two best resources on the Internet on the evolution/creation topic" (the other being TalkOrigins Archive). Consequently, the NCSE also opposes intelligent design and other "alternatives" to evolution because they are misleading euphemisms for creationism.
NCSE "is religiously neutral, though it cooperates nationally and locally with religious organizations, as well as scientific and educational organizations like the National Academy of Sciences, the National Association of Biology Teachers, and the National Science Teachers Association." Its willingness to engage positively with, and avoid taking sides against, religiously minded supporters of evolution has been noted by prominent historian of creationism Ronald L. Numbers and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins.
The NCSE offers a variety of lecturers, including biologists, anthropologists, philosophers, and theologians, for topics relating to evolution, science, and education. Also it hosts activities including trips and conferences. It publishes Reports of the National Center for Science Education bimonthly, containing book reviews and news. Additionally, it publishes books, such as a compilation of scientific analyses of creationist books.
In 2003, the NCSE gained international attention with Project Steve.
In 2005 the NCSE assisted the plaintiffs in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the most prominent case testing the constitutionality of intelligent design in public school science classes, and put their extensive library of creationist materials at the plaintiffs' disposal. Nick Matzke, the NCSE's Public Information Project Director at the time, served as liaison to the legal team, and was responsible for uncovering the substitution of "intelligent design" for "creationism" within drafts of Of Pandas and People, which became a devastating part of the testimony of Barbara Forrest (also an NCSE Director), and was cited extensively in Judge John E. Jones III's decision.
In April 2008, the NCSE launched "Expelled Exposed," a website critical of the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed starring Ben Stein. The website received press attention and a large amount of traffic.
In 2012, The NCSE announced they would be engaged in efforts to keep climate change education, and global warming issues, safe from threats from special interests.
Read more about this topic: National Center For Science Education
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