Thank you Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN (and author of Sonic Boom) for including SciCheer in today’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback piece!
“Imagine how public reception of evolutionary theory might have differed if Darwin had glamorous scantily clad cheerleaders!”
Not exactly what we’re going for but we do love to see our science efforts mingling with the masses where they belong. Especially psyched we were able to pull in scientist-turned-film maker Randy Olson to help w/the fun, featured video.
Check out Gregg’s full post here or read the excerpt below:
Sway to the Left/ Sway to the Right/ All Observers Perceive the Same Velocity/ For the Speed of Light: Last week, the Science Cheerleaders danced on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Imagine how public reception of evolutionary theory might have differed if Darwin had glamorous scantily clad cheerleaders!
The Science Cheerleaders are current or former pro sports dance squad members who have pursued careers in science or medicine. They were organized by Darlene Cavalier, a former cheerleader for the Philadelphia 76ers and now a science advocate via this website, whose goal is to make science fun and kicky for young people. Not that many former cheerleaders sponsor petitions to reopen the Office of Technology Assessment. Darlene’s project demonstrates that serious thinking about science and technology is not inconsistent with liking pretty dancing girls — this, of course, is music to TMQ’s ears.
The Science Cheerleaders video linked above is by Randy Olson, a marine biologist who has become a filmmaker. His interest is science documentaries that are amusing enough that people actually will watch them. Olson’s film “Flock of Dodos,” which is about the debate between natural selection and intelligent design, is both hilarious and informative. High school science teachers — kids would pay attention!