A Meeting of Minds - Wilson and Watson in Conversation
Tracy Barbaro
E.O. Wilson and James D. Watson and have not always agreed on everything during their 50 or so years of friendship. Often in heated debate while both were on the faculty at Harvard University in the 1950’s, Wilson (whose dream started the Encyclopedia of Life) and Watson (who with Francis Crick developed the DNA double helix model) recently discussed the past and their visions for the future of biological sciences during a talk sponsored by the Harvard Museum of Natural History, moderated by Robert Krulwich. Despite their differences in opinion on many topics, both academics agreed on the importance of science education.
The Encyclopedia of Life, Learning and Education Group (formally the Education and Outreach group) agrees. During the recent EOL Learning and Education Advisory Board meeting, the same sentiment was reiterated- science education is important, if not critical to the future of biological sciences and the future of the planet and all its inhabitants. The Learning and Education group is currently working on pilot projects to support science education at many levels, with the goal of serving as an interface between the richness of species information on the Encyclopedia of Life and the specific educational needs of user groups. Visit education.eol.org to learn more. As always, we’d love your feedback.
Make sure to check out a video of the conversation courtesy of the Harvard Museum of Natural History