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 ...
Intelligent Design is bunk, but SETI is gold? Get real.
Well, we at least got the WOW! signal. Wish there were more ...
The teachers attending the SETI workshops are doing so on the taxpayer dollar, as are the subs who fill in for them.
Just the discovery of a very narrowband carrier is enough to suspect artificiality. In fact, that is what SETI is doing. Looking for a narrowband signal. Natural sources are broadband.
Here is a recent post I made on SETI:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1522845/posts?page=69#69
Its not.
I'm sure billions and billions of Saganists and UFOlogists would be happy to contribute voluntarily if they could keep a paying job.
You are pretty clueless arn't you.
You always add so much to these discussions.
I never said ID is bunk. Just not science and should not be taught in science class. SETI is discovery.
Saw it last month
Sorry, didn't notice that. Personally, I am against public schools anyway, so taxpayer dollars shouldn't be involved at all. I do, generally, use SETI as an example of how basic research can be done without goverment funding, which they do.
In any case, I do consider SETI to be valid science, since they are determining an upper bound on the quantity of intelligent transmissions in the universe. It's a perfectly valid field of science, if it does come up with a Null result. A Null result is just as important scientifically as a E.T. radio transmission, though it doesn't generate very exciting headlines.
Thank you! :-)
so is the discovery of anon-random data sequence an indicator of intelligent life...regardless of where it is found?
Indeed. SETI is win win science. :-)
BTW, pretty obvious by this point I think, I "do" SETI using a radio telescope.
Not what SETI looks for. We are looking for a narrow band signal that would indicate it has a non natural origin.
I understand that - but if the general theory is viable, it ought to be universal, right? Regardless of where the evidence is found?
Contact was a good movie thru about the first half. It lost me with the headsets (we look at billions of channels simultaneously), using the VLA (not designed for SETI), and the "machine". IMHO, it got silly shortly after the signal was detected.
Also, looking at the parallax (and motion against the sky) from all those telescopes that saw the signal would have proved conclusively that Hadden could not have used a satellite to spoof the scientists.
I guess I am "too close" to the subject. :-)
There are lots of "non random" events that can be natural in origin. Evolution is one that comes to mind.
Wow - you just made quite a leap. You have told me that evidence for intelligence is non-random data sequences. Then you tell me that some non-random data sequences may not have an intelligent source. So how can you be sure that non-random data sequences from space can be from an intelligent source?
Made no leap at all. I said a narrowband signal indicates a non-natural origin.
This carrier turning off and on using a prime sequence would further that indication.
This does not imply all non-random sequences are intelligently designed however.
Headsets were stated in the movie to be 'weird', but the character was supposed to like them anyway. The director clearly knew that they were unusual, but he had to work them in somehow for the dramatic effect.
The VLA is quite good if you are looking at specific nearby stars. You get a very good signal from that specific star.
You are absolutely right. Hadden couldn't have faked it. At the end, it is made clear that Hadden didn't fake it, since there were 18 hours of static on the tape. The goverment was sending out a B.S. disinformation story to sow doubt about the whole thing.
Personally, I thought contact was a great science movie since it followed the trials and tribulations of real world scientists:
The first quarter is spent trying to drum up money.
The second quarter (and many years) is spent building elaborate apparatus for one experiment.
The third quarter is spend arguing about who will get the credit.
The fourth quarter is spent arguing about whether the result really means anything at all.
It rather well mirrors what I see real scientists doing.
Fair enough. Good reply!
(BTW, the receivers at the VLA are really not designed for SETI) :-)
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