"Wear sunscreen--and trust your brain!"
That's just some of the sage advice that NCSE's executive director Dr. Eugenie C. Scott passed along to graduates at the University of Missouri on Saturday, May 15. Dr. Scott was at UM to not only deliver a commencement speech, but to receive an honorary doctorate celebrating a career devoted to defending the teaching of evolution in the public schools.
"[Dr. Scott] has sought to promote accuracy and improve the public understanding of evolution by mediating between those dedicated to religion and science and recognizing a relationship between them, " said UM in a press release.
If her commencement address, Dr. Scott's advice went beyond UV exposure.
"Trust your brain," said Scott. "It's useful not just for surviving four years of university, but for deciding lots of things that are important. Like what brand of sunscreen to select, or what policies our elected representatives should follow, or whose fault the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is. Trust your brain. Ask questions when people make claims that sound fishy to you — and perhaps even more importantly, when you agree with them!"
The UM honorary doctorate was Dr. Scott's seventh. Two days later, Monday May 17, Dr. Scott received her eighth honorary doctorate, this time from Colorado College, which likewise honored her for her work over the last three decades.
Transcript of Dr. Scott's commencement address
Colorado College press release
Images of Dr. Scott and school logos
Aside from her new status as an Octodoc, Dr. Scott recently received the National Academy of Sciences' Public Service Medal, the California Academy of Science's Fellows medal, the first Stephen Jay Gould Prize, and joined the 2009 Scientific American 10 Honor Roll, along with Barack Obama and Bill Gates.
CONTACT: Robert Luhn, Director of Communications, NCSE, 510-601-7203, luhn@ncse.com
Web site: www.ncse.com
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a not-for-profit, membership organization that defends and promotes the teaching of evolution in the public schools. The NCSE provides information and resources to schools, parents, and concerned citizens working to keep evolution in public school science education. We educate the press and public about the scientific, educational, and legal aspects of the creation and evolution controversy, and supply needed information and advice to defend good science education at local, state, and national levels. Our 4000 members are scientists, teachers, clergy, and citizens with diverse religious affiliations.