News of the Week National Science Teachers Association. Arguments came to a boil at the recently concluded NSTA annual meeting in Washington, D.C., where William G. Aldridge, the association's executive director, accused Secretary of Education William J. Bennett of using science education funds to promote "the theology of the Far Right." Particularly upsetting to Aldridge is Bennett's plan to consolidate several existing teacher training programs—currently funded at about $91 million and aimed mainly at science and mathematics teachers— into a new $80 million program for fiscal 1988, the "Christa McAuliffe Act." He said that the bill would parcel the money out to the states, to be used to train teachers in any field. Moreover, $16 million would be shifted to the Secretary's "discretionary fund." "What he wants to do," Aldridge said, "is to gain control over the curriculum by having these national programs where they can push the theology of the Far Right." Aldridge also used the occasion to challenge National Science Foundation assertions that it's spending more money on precollege education. Instead, he maintains, there are "zero increases on every precollege program" for fiscal 1988. In his opinion, NSF spends too much on research scientists and engineers, not enough on education. Bennett responded to Aldridge's attack during a luncheon talk to the NSTA members. According to press accounts/the Secretary told the science teachers that "bashing" the Reagan Administration over budget cuts wouldn't solve the problem of scientific illiteracy in the U.S. "Let's stop fooling around," Bennett said. "Let's get three years of science required for every high school graduate and get it done. Just teach it and say to kids: 'Some of this is going to be hard. But if you work at it, you'll get it.' " Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, NSF's deputy director for science and engineering education, comments to C&EN that Aldridge's complaint about NSF support of science education isn't quite accurate. Shakha6
April 6, 1987 C&EN
shiri points out that two new activities have been proposed: a $3.7 million junior scholars program, intended to attract talented high school students to science, and a $1 million program for more research on science teaching. The agency also wants to spend $800,000 more on assessment and evaluation at the precollege level. Thus, NSF proposes to spend about $5.5 million more for precollege science education in fiscal 1988—or, a total of about $67.5 million. Meanwhile, NSF officials continue to vent their frustration over what they feel is Bennett's lack of a science education commitment in the department. Says one: "For months, I've been trying to find a counterpart to me at that department and still haven't been able to. There's just no one over there to talk to. I'm very frustrated about this. The problem isn't a turf battle. It's worse than that." D
Verkade wins Region V post on ACS Board John G. Verkade narrowly defeated petition candidate Louis J. Sacco Jr. in a three-way race for Region V director on the American Chemical Society's Board of Directors. Verkade, professor of chemistry at Iowa State University, will serve the remainder of the 1986-88 term originally held by Robert C. Brasted, who died late last year. Ballots counted at ACS headquarters last month show that secondchoice votes made the difference. Verkade received 2139 first-choice and 325 second-choice votes, for a total of 2464. Sacco, a Chicago-based consultant in environmental science and chemical waste management, received 2195 first-choice and 135 secondchoice votes, for a total of 2330. The third candidate, I. Dwaine Eubanks, professor of chemistry at Oklahoma State University, received 1229 votes. (In a three-way election, the secondchoice votes indicated on ballots marked for the third-place candidate are added to first-choice votes for the first- and second-place candidates to arrive at a total vote.) A total of 5563 valid votes were cast, and 60 ballots were declared invalid.
New warnings sounded on biodiversity crisis The threatened loss of biological diversity is fast moving into the forefront of issues of concern to the scientific community, policy makers, and the public. The latest statement of concern comes from the Smithsonian Institution, which this week is officially premiering a new poster panel exhibition titled "Diversity Endangered." Last week, the Office of Technology Assessment issued a major report for Congress on "Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity." And just recently, the seriousness of the global decrease in species that is occurring was the keynote theme that opened the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Biological diversity as a term covers the variety and variability among living organisms. It ranges from complete ecosystems to the chemical structures that are the molecular basis of genetics. It is a fragile and complex framework, the Smithsonian points out, noting predictions by some experts that at the present rate of destruction, almost one third of the world's arable land and one half of its tropical forests may be destroyed by the year 2000. Says Rep. James H. Scheuer (D.N.Y.): "Rapid and unintended reductions in biodiversity are undermining economic development in many parts of the world and will lead to the irreversible elimination of untapped natural resources for agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical development." Scheuer is chairman of the Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agricultural Research, and Environment of the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology. OTA analyzes the implications of loss of biological diversity a n d identifies Congressional options in five areas: strengthening the national commitment, increasing the ability of the U.S. to maintain biological diversity, enhancing the knowledge base, supporting international initiatives, and addressing loss of biological diversity in developing countries. D
