Posted on 11/17/2005 6:17:33 PM PST by KevinDavis
Science education is a profession, and as such, professional development is imperative to the practice, just as in the medical, dental and other professions. Professional development occurs in many settings and structures. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and state affiliates sponsor multi-disciplinary education conferences both nationally and regionally. Discipline specific education conferences are sponsored by organizations such as the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) and American Chemical Society (ACS). Conferences last from one to five days, and offer college credit, continuing education units or verified contact hours in response to the differing state methods of certifying teacher professional development. All have in common the National Research Council (NRC) National Science Education Standards (NSES) for Professional Development (PD). The PD standards are summarized as learning about science, learning about science pedagogy, learning about inquiry-based learning, and life long integrated and coordinated professional development. Science education conferences held across the country consistently address the first three; the last standard is a challenge to address. National, state and local conferences provide science content delivered by nationally recognized scientists and pedagogists to large groups of educators, as well as networking opportunities and exposure to new curriculum and other science classroom products.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Care to back up this assertion?
Yes they are.
A silly endeavor on its face.
How is the possibility of finding other life in the universe silly?
But assuming there is such a thing as Extraterrestrial Life and that it would give a damn about us, it is almost certainly VERY far away. Too far to make any difference in our lives or that of our children or grandchildren or great grandchildren or .. well you get the idea.
So? The very nature of us not being alone would have a huge impact of how we not only view ourselves, but our relationship with the universe. This is not unlike saying; all astronomy is bunk, since it has little affect of the average life.
Now everyone is free to spend their money how they want -- but that doesn't stop it from being a boondoggle.
Is any exploration that does not have an immediate return a boondoggle?
What is required to identify the presence of intelligent life in space?
INTREP
what evidence would indicate that intelligent lifeforms exist?
I agree. As I said before.. Billions upon billions upon billions of stars, there is there no way in heck that we are alone..
> what evidence would indicate that intelligent lifeforms exist?
Prime numbers would be a start.
How would prime numbers help?
> People are sending money on an alleged Search for Extraterrestrial Life. A silly endeavor on its face.
Nope. If nothing else, SETI produces far more than just "nope. Nothing today, again" messages. It also does straightforward radio astronomy in the process.
> Too far to make any difference in our lives or that of our children or grandchildren or great grandchildren or .. well you get the idea.
Incorrect. The world went slightly ape back in '97 when the "Mars fossil" was unveiled. And *that* was, if it was what they hoped it was, a sign of nothing more than a nanobacterium that had been dead a billion years. A verifiable radio signal, say, would be the biggest thing in human history. Even if it came from a source 15,000 lightyears away and translated out as the last message of despair sent out by the last survivor of a dead species, it would have *massive* philosophical, religious and scientific implications.
Their sequence is not random.
so a non-random sequence of prime numbers would indicate an intelligent source?
I agree it's a boondoggle, but it's more speculative than scientific. Sure, SETI employs some cool technology, but its purpose is certainly useless and its prospects most likely (IMO) futile.
It ought not be funded from forced exactions. I'm sure billions and billions of Saganists and UFOlogists would be happy to contribute voluntarily if they could keep a paying job.
WHOMP WHOMP...
WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP...
WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP...
WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP...
I love that scene.
'Contact' is a great movie. Watch it again.
SETI is entirely funded by voluntarily contributions. Its main source of data, currently, is radio astronomy used by tapping into the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico and pulling off signals in wavelengths that are not concurrently being investigated by other astronomers.
Their main methods of gathering data are piggy backing on existing systems in a non-interfering way, and using lots of 'backyard astronomy' with the assistance of amateurs.
You may consider it a waste of someone's time, but it is not a waste of your tax dollars. It's totally private.
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