Fifty-two Ohio Scientists Call for Academic Freedom on Darwin’s Theory

Contact:

Jody Sjogren (614) 485-8000 metstudios@mindspring.com
Robert DiSilvestro (614) 292-6848 disilvestro.1@osu.edu

Fifty-two Ohio Scientists Call for Academic Freedom on Darwin’s Theory

Fifty-two Ohio scientists have issued a statement supporting academic freedom to teach the scientific arguments for and against Darwin’s theory of evolution. The statement comes at a time when the Ohio State Board of Education is considering new state science standards.

The Ohio scientists represent a wide range of scientific disciplines, from entomology (insect zoology) to toxicology, from nuclear chemistry to engineering, from biochemistry to medicine and surgery. Some of the scientists are employed in business, industry, and research, but most teach at state and private universities. A third of the scientists on this list are at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

Robert DiSilvestro, one of the statement signers and a professor at The Ohio State University, commented that, "As a scientist who has been following this debate closely, I think that a valid scientific challenge has been mounted to Darwinian orthodoxy on evolution. There are good scientific reasons to question many currently accepted ideas in this area."

During a public presentation to the Ohio School Board on March 11, two experts on evolution opposed allowing the arguments against Darwin’s theory to be taught, while two other experts – advocates of "intelligent design" – supported the inclusion of scientific arguments for and against Darwin’s theory in the new standards.

Since the recent publication of several best-selling books that address the scientific challenges to Darwin’s theory, including ‘Darwin’s Black Box’ by biochemist Michael Behe and ‘Icons of Evolution’ by biologist Jonathan Wells, attention has focused increasingly on problems with the theory of evolution.

"The more this controversy rages, the more our colleagues start to investigate the scientific issues," said DiSilvestro. "This has caused more scientists to publicly support our statement." He noted that several on the list had signed after the March 11 presentation to the Ohio State Board of Education in Columbus, Ohio.

The Ohio scientists’ statement on behalf of teaching the controversy over evolution echoes similar language in the recently passed federal education law, the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." The report language interpreting this legislation explains that on controversial issues such as biological evolution "the curriculum should help students to understand the full range of scientific views that exist." In a March 15 letter to the Ohio Board of Education, U.S. Rep. John Boehner, Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and Rep. Steve Chabot, Chair of the House Constitution Subcommittee, made it clear that this admonition is "part of the law" and affects Ohio’s consideration of science standards. "It is important," they wrote, "that the implementation of these science standards not be used to censor debate on controversial issues in science, including Darwin’s theory of evolution."

Following is the text of the statement, with the fifty-two Ohio scientists who have endorsed it:

To Enhance the Effectiveness of Ohio Science Education, as Scientists …

We Affirm:

• That biological evolution is an important scientific theory that should be taught in the classroom;
• That a quality science education should prepare students to distinguish the data and testable theories of science from religious or philosophical claims that are made in the name of science;
• That a science curriculum should help students understand why the subject of biological evolution generates controversy;
• That where alternative scientific theories exist in any area of inquiry (such as wave vs. particle theories of light, biological evolution vs. intelligent design, etc.), students should be permitted to learn the evidence for and against them;
• That a science curriculum should encourage critical thinking and informed participation in public discussions about biological origins.

We Oppose:

• Religious or anti-religious indoctrination in a class specifically dedicated to teaching within the discipline of science;
• The censorship of scientific views that may challenge current theories of origins.

Robert DiSilvestro, Ph.D., Biochemistry, Professor, Human Nutrition, The Ohio State University

David Zartman, Ph.D., Genetics & Animal Breeding, The Ohio State University

Dale W. Schaefer, Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Cincinnati

Daniel Kuebler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Karl A. Weber, Ph.D., Physical & Theoretical Organic Chemistry

Paul Madtes, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman, Biology Department, Mount Vernon Nazarene College

W. John Durfee, D.V.M., DACLAM, Director, Veterinary Research Resources, Case Western Reserve University Medical School

Stanley A. Watson, Ph.D., Cereal Chemistry, Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center, The Ohio State University, Retired

Mark B. Swanson, Ph.D., Biochemistry

Jerry Bergman, Ph.D., M.S., Ph.D., M.S.B.S., M.P.H., Department of Biology, Northwest State College, Archbold, Ohio

Walter L. Starkey, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Timothy W. Schenz, Ph.D., Physical Chemistry

William V. Everson, Ph.D., Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Fellow, Cincinnati, Ohio

Steven Gollmer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics, Cedarville College

Georgia Purdom, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, Mount Vernon Nazarene College

David H. Ives, Ph.D., Biochemistry, The Ohio State University

Drazen Petrinec, M.D., F.A.C.S., Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine

James Menart, Ph.D., Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Wright State University

Jeffrey Weiland, M.D., College of Medicine, The Ohio State University

Rudolf Brits, Ph.D., Nuclear Chemistry

David A. Johnston, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wright State University

George F. Martin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Anatomy and Neuroscience, The Ohio State University

Melody L. Davis, Ph.D., Chemistry

Gregory Ness, DDS, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Ohio State University

Leroy Eimers, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Mathematics, Cedarville College

Glen R. Needham, Ph.D., Entomology, The Ohio State University

Sherwood G. Talbert, P.E., MSME, Mechanical Engineering

Joseph R. McShannic, M.D., F.A.C.S., Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine

Jerry D. Johnson, Ph.D., Diplomat A.B.T., Toxicology

Mitch Wolff, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wright State University

Gerald S. Wegner, Ph.D., B.C.E., Entomology

Robert Lattimer, Ph.D., Chemistry

John A. Fink, M.D., F.A.C.S., Associate Professor of Surgery, Northeastern Ohio College of Medicine

Don Mahan, Ph.D., Professor, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University

Pavi Thomas, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering

Donal P. O’Mathuna, Ph.D., Professor of Bioethics and Chemistry, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, Columbus

Kimberly Kinateder, Ph.D., Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Wright State University

Ron Neiswander, M.S., Chemistry, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University

Gerald P. Chubb, P.E., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering and Aviation, The Ohio State University

Mark D. Foster, Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, The University of Akron

Kenneth S. Cada, M.S., Inorganic Chemistry

Arthur Dalton, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine

William Notz, Ph.D., Statistics, The Ohio State University

Patrick H. Young, Ph.D., Chemistry

William Shulaw, DVM, Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University

Robert E. Bailey, Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering, Prof. Emeritus Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Alfred Ciraldo, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine

Kim Laurell, DDS, MSD, former Assistant Professor of Prosthetic Dentistry, The Ohio State University

K. David Monson, Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry

Henry R. Busby, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Christopher Boshkos, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine

Richard Slemons, DVM, Ph.D., Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University

NOTE: The scientists listed above are from Ohio institutions and companies. In some cases, company policy prohibits them from listing their affiliation here in conjunction with personal and professional opinion.

File Date: 03.25.02