PZ Myers

In this episode, we chat with PZ Myers – lead author of the blog Pharyngula (Pharyngula is hosted at Science Blogs – a project from Seed Magazine). Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.

• Contact Information at UM Morris
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal Page
• Profile on Nature Network
• Pharyngula Galleries
• Articles written by PZ Myers at Seed Magazine
• 2006 Weblog Award Winner: Best Science Blog

Preview from the Show:
Myers: What you want to do with a blog – it’s such an informal medium – if you get all stuffy and treat it as something where you are going to write a formal treatise everyday, I don’t think you’ll get as much interest. So by keeping it personal, keeping it human, what I think I’ve done is open up a little window into a science professor’s life, which is sometimes scary, but fun.

Basler: Do you think that this type of casual communication [blogging] is something really important that the students are going to need in the future, or was it just an experiment to try out because you were blogging?
Myers: Oh it’s both. I mean, this is a brave new medium. I’m trying new things; I wanna explore this and see what we can do with our students. But I also think it’s important for the future of science and science education – that what we want is active, involved learners at every stage of the game. And if this is a way that we can get people talking about science, then that’s a huge step – that’s important.

Myers: My schedule’s turning into a frightening thing; it’s getting so packed full of requests to talk, but I try to indulge in as much as possible.
Bartel: So you’re working on Darwin Day instead of enjoying it, is what you’re saying?
Myers: Well, getting up in front of an audience and talking about evolution and talking about science, talking about philosophy in these ideas – that’s not working is it?

Links:

• Wikipedia Entry
• The Mad Scientist (from Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages)
• Monkey’s Uncle (from Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages)
• PZ Myers on Richard Dawkins (from Seed Magazine)
• Interview with DailyKos
• Interview by John Horgan
• DarwinDay.org
• Darwin Day Celebration at Lawrence University – February 9, 2008

Books Discussed on the Show:

• Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin
• The Reluctant Mr. Darwin by David Quammen

Direct download: nstalol9.mp3