US House Approves Over $300 Million For Science Agencies

sciencehabit notes that the US House of Representatives has allotted an additional $337.5 million in budget increases divided amongst four science agencies. NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy's Office of Science will each receive an additional $62.5 million, and the National Institutes of Health will receive $150 million. The money will help to offset the decision to reduce budget increases earlier this year. Early plans for the money include the training of new math and science teachers, and another reprieve for FermiLab's financial troubles.

Comments

Re:And forcing creationism with the other hand...

[Daniel Dvorkin]

The best thing to do, and the best way to develop young minds is to show them all the evidence,

All the evidence supports evolution. Every last bit of it. So while I agree that "showing them all the evidence" is a great idea, that's clearly not what creationists have in mind.

describe to them all of the ideas,

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of creation myths out there, from religions past and present; if we include mythology in the category "all the ideas," then a quick summary of those myths would take up a full academic year at least. OTOH, if we want to present only scientific ideas in science class, fortunately there's really only one idea that needs to be taught.

and then let them make up their own minds.

Indeed. They'll do that regardless, of course. But if we teach them critical thinking instead of blind faith, and evidence instead of fairy tales, then the choice they'll make is a lot more likely to be one that has some relation to reality.