YEAR OF SCIENCE ANNOUNCES JANUARY LAUNCH EVENTS

October 27, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sheri Potter
October 27, 2008 941-923-6320
spotter@copusproject.org

WASHINGTON DC — Today marked the registration of the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, CT as the 385th participating organization in the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) - a grassroots network of universities, scientific societies, science centers and museums, government agencies, advocacy groups, media, schools, educators, businesses, and industry - basically, anyone who cares about science and is concerned about national scientific literacy.

COPUS participants are leading the way in a national celebration of science — Year of Science 2009 — to celebrate how science works, why it matters, and who scientists are.

The Year of Science 2009 will hold a launch event in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), beginning January 3, 2009 at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, MA. The SICB meeting will include plenary presentations emphasizing the benefits of an engaged public, a workshop that focuses on science communication, and several Science Cafés in the Boston community.

  • Ira Flatow, host of National Public Radio’s Talk Of The Nation: Science Friday, and Dr. Sean Carroll, University of Wisconsin-Madison, will spotlight Year of Science 2009 with plenary presentations emphasizing the importance of public understanding of science and evolution.

  • John Durant, Director of the MIT Museum, Ben Wiehe, WGBH Educational Foundation, and Carl Zimmer, science writer, will share their respective expertise in science festivals, science cafés, and the benefits and impacts of blogging about science in a session to highlight communicating science in 2009.

  • Science Cafés in surrounding Boston neighborhoods will bring cutting-edge science from the meeting to the Boston public. The community will hear first-hand about exciting new developments in the biological sciences.

A special component of the meeting is the much-anticipated January 5th unveiling of the Understanding Science Web site and its new paradigm for portraying the process of science. Prominent and popular textbook author and Brown University professor Ken Miller will join forces with Natalie Kuldell of the MIT Department of Biological Engineering to officially launch the site at the Boston meeting. High school science teacher Dr. Kathleen Gorski in Wilbraham, MA was one of the first educators to preview the site and implement it in her classroom. She writes “… the materials have had a huge impact on my classes this year; I’ve been told ‘that makes more sense [than what was learned earlier]’ and the kids seem to understand how one does science at a much deeper level. It is still the early days of the course, but I am thrilled with their response!”

COPUS looks forward to similar activities at other professional meetings throughout the year. The strategy is simple: (1) partner with local organizations that can share their expertise and facilitate public engagement; (2) connect with the community about science, and (3) have fun.

To stay in touch with the activities and events of the Year of Science 2009 as they unfold, register your organization to become a participant in COPUS by completing the online form at www.copusproject.org. By becoming a part of this communication and collaboration network, adding Year of Science logos to your Web site and marketing materials during 2009, and spreading the word to others, you are helping promote these efforts.

For more information about COPUS and the Year of Science 2009, please visit:
www.copusproject.org
www.yearofscience2009.org
www.http://blogs.aibs.org/copus/

About COPUS
Support for COPUS planning workshops was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. EAR-0606600, EAR-0628790, and EAR-0814048, to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. The cognizant fiduciary body for COPUS and the Year of Science 2009 project is the American Institute of Biological Sciences Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which is providing staffing support, IT, and other resources. The Geological Society of America, the University of California Museum of Paleontology, and the National Science Teachers Association are also contributing funds for COPUS and Year of Science 2009.

Year of Science sponsorship opportunities are available now! For more information, contact Sheri Potter at spotter@copusproject.org

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© COPUS 2008
National Science Foundation The cognizant fiduciary body for the COPUS and Year of Science 2009 projects is the American Institute of Biological Sciences Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) scientific association founded in 1947 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences, and an independent, member-governed organization since the 1950s. Support for COPUS workshops by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. EAR-0606600, EAR-0628790, and EAR-0814048. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.