NCSE is pleased to announce the winners of the Friend of Darwin award for 2022: Tim M. Berra, Academy Professor Emeritus of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University, Professorial Fellow at Charles Darwin University, and the author of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism (1990); Adam Laats, Professor of Education and History at Binghamton University (SUNY) and the author of Creationism USA (2020); and Lisa D. White, Director of Education and Outreach at the University of California Museum of Paleontology.
NCSE's executive director Ann Reid extolled the winners, explaining, "Tim Berra has helped to expose the flaws of creationism going back to the days of creation science, while Adam Laats has helped to chart the contours of the controversies over evolution education going back to before the Scopes trial." She added, "And the importance of Lisa White's efforts to help science educators teach evolution effectively can't be overstated," citing in particular her leadership on the Understanding Evolution website.
NCSE is also pleased to announce the winners of the Friend of the Planet award for 2022: Andrew Dessler, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University and the author of Introduction to Modern Climate Change (third edition, 2021); Kelley T. Lê, Director of the Science Project at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of Teaching Climate Change for Grades 6-12 (2021); and Climate One, the weekly podcast and public radio program from the Commonwealth Club of California.
"The Friends of the Planet for 2022 have tirelessly promoted the cause of climate change education," Reid observed. "For Andrew Dessler, through his authoritative college textbooks as well as through his commentary in the popular media. For Kelley Lê, through her important guide aimed at helping middle and high school teachers teach climate change effectively and her related outreach activities. And for Climate One, through its commitment to empowering public conversations that connect all aspects of the climate emergency."
The Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet awards are presented annually to a select few whose efforts to support NCSE and advance its goal of defending and supporting the teaching of evolution and climate science have been truly outstanding. Previous recipients of the Friend of Darwin award include Niles Eldredge, Richard B. Katskee, Judy Scotchmoor, Carl Zimmer, and the plaintiffs in Kitzmiller v. Dover. Previous recipients of the Friend of the Planet Award include Richard Alley, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and the Paleontological Research Institution.
