Now on ScienceBlogs: The Galaxy's Biggest Valentine
Mike Dunford was a graduate student in the Department of Zoology at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where he studied evolution. Life as an army spouse has since moved him on to Pensacola, where he's currently trying to figure out what to do next. While he's doing that, he writes stuff here, although not usually in the third person. He's also a contributer to The Pandas Thumb. As is the case with everyone else here, his opinions are his own, and do not necessarily represent those of any organization he is affiliated with.
Category: Public Perception of Science
Sheril Kirshenbaum and DrHGG recently wrote posts expressing their disappointment at the selection of authors that Richard Dawkins included in the Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing. Neither of them was pleased that only three female authors were included...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 12:20 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Public Perception of Science
The Guardian just announced that it's brought on four new columnists. These particular columnists are unusual, in that three of them are working scientists, and the fourth is an ethicist specializing in science and medicine. All in all, I...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 11:00 AM • 20 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Science, Policy, and Management
I've already talked about the basic dishonesty Bobby Jindal exhibited when he took a swipe at the mention of "volcano monitoring" in the stimulus - Jindal claimed that there was $140 million in there for "volcano monitoring", when it's...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 6:13 PM • 18 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Science and Politics
In his opening remarks for the latest entry in our ongoing debate about public financing for science, Timothy Sandefur suggests that after this post, we move on to concluding remarks. That strikes me as a reasonably good idea (and...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 11:32 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Public Perception of Science
In a recent and very widely distributed AP article, Seth Borenstein manages to do a pretty good job of misunderstanding what's going on with Comet Lulin. In a relatively short column, he manages to generate confusion about the location...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 8:44 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Book Reviews
Phil Plait has written one of the most fantastically, aggressively, almost humorously depressing books I've ever read, and I'm almost certain I mean that as a compliment.
Posted by Mike Dunford at 2:01 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Public Perception of Science
A series of articles just published in The Sunday Times reports that it appears likely that Andrew Wakefield falsified much of the data that was used in the 1998 Lancet article that first identified the MMR vaccine as a...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 9:12 PM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Public Perception of Science
I wasn't planning to discuss the book's prologue, but as I worked my way through it, it became very clear to me that there are a number of points in there that really need to be discussed, and sooner rather than later. Several of the points that Alinsky raises are likely to be at least moderately controversial with some of the readers (and bloggers) here.
Posted by Mike Dunford at 1:50 PM • 6 Comments •
Category: Public Perception of Science
...keep an eye on the left sidebar of this blog. There's a listing there of the times and dates when the prize announcements will be made. If all goes well, the list will be automatically updated with the names of...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 12:20 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Do Something
Last week, right around the time that Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin were mocking community organizers at the Republican Convention, I found myself talking about how community organizing can help us become more effective when it comes to dealing...
Posted by Mike Dunford at 8:49 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
