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With Wells, Gauger, and Denton, Education Day Was a Big Success; Let’s Do It Again Sometime

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Our Education Day on intelligent design yesterday was a big success, greeted with terrific enthusiasm by students, teachers, and parents alike. Over 170 attended. Hosted in Seattle by the Center for Science & Culture and intended as a field-trip opportunity for private school groups and home school families, it was the first event of its kind that the CSC has offered, and it won’t be the last.

Biologist Jonathan Wells kicked off the day with an introduction to science and intelligent design. Dr. Wells allowed for an extended time of Q&A, which led to some great discussions with the students. They asked, among other things, “Why is the scientific establishment so committed to a Darwinian viewpoint?” and “How is intelligent design gaining traction in scientific research?” Wells said after the event, “The questions from this audience were better than the questions from any audience I have ever addressed.”

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Ann Gauger followed with a lecture called “Chicken or Egg?,” in which she used examples from biology to show the utter interdependence of life, all the way down to the cellular level, providing powerful evidence for forethought and design. “It was both an honor and a pleasure to speak to them,” Dr. Gauger commented.

Finally, the students got a preview of the yet-to-be-released documentary Fire-Maker, featuring Michael Denton and his research into how humans and the Earth’s qualities were exquisitely designed to harness the miraculous powers of fire and thus transform our planet. After the screening, Dr. Denton joined the students for a Q&A session via Skype all the way from Thailand.

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The impressive turnout and energy at this midday event shows that students, teachers, and families are starved for honest research that follows the evidence wherever it leads. One homeschool parent commented afterward, “The speakers were all a breath of fresh air. For me as a home school mom with a degree in science, it is so refreshing to see research for intelligent design.”

The kids were the lucky ones, though, getting a glimpse into the cutting-edge research that provides compelling and inspiring evidence for design in nature. Most other students are not so fortunate, but there are signs that word is getting out. One public school student skipped classes and hitched a ride with a neighbor to attend.

For the record, we do not approve of playing hooky. But you have to admire the kid’s spirit. “It’s events like this one that give me hope for the future of science,” said John West, Associate Director of the CSC.

Photographer credit: Janine Solfelt.

Janine Sofelt

Janine (Dixon) Solfelt is an Educational Outreach Coordinator with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. She has a BA in political science and an emphasis in business, and she has been working in development and outreach at Discovery Institute since 2006. Before coming to Discovery Institute, she worked with the National Association of Evangelicals in Washington, DC.

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