Release date: Dec. 20, 2005
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Emory Experts Available to Comment on Intelligent Design Ruling

Emory University experts are available to comment on today's court ruling in Dover, Pa., that it is unconstitutional to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom. The case was one of the most controversial challenges to evolution since the Scopes trial in 1925. The following Emory faculty can provide perspective on what is happening nationally, the proposed inclusion of alternative ideas like intelligent design, how evolution is taught and why evolution remains a controversial subject for many.

Arri Eisen is a senior lecturer in biology and director of Emory's Science and Society program within the Center for Ethics. Through classes, seminars, events and a public radio show, the Science and Society program explores the interface of science with social issues, including ethics, religion and morality. He previously has co-led a semester-long faculty seminar on the role of religion, healing and public health. Eisen may be reached at 404-727-4354 or arri.eisen@emory.edu

Benjamin Z. Freed, an Emory anthropologist and father of a public school student, is chairman of the Georgia Citizens for Integrity in Science Education, a non-profit citizens action group dedicated to promoting scientific literacy and excellence in science education. Members include teachers and faculty members across Georgia. Reach Freed at 404-727-4021 or bzfreed@emory.edu.

Pat Marsteller is director of Emory University’s Center for Science Education and an expert on science education for K-12 students. She also teaches biology courses on evolution. Emory’s center has developed programs to bolster science literacy for students and teachers at the K-12, college and postgraduate levels. Reach Marsteller at 404-727-9696 or pmars@learnlink.emory.edu.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For more than a decade Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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