New Mexicans for Science and Reason

New Mexicans for Science and Reason
Type Non-profit
Purpose Science advocacy
Headquarters Albuquerque, New Mexico
President
 Dave Thomas
Board member
 Mark Boslough
Website www.nmsr.org

New Mexicans for Science and Reason (also known by the abbreviation NMSR) is a science advocacy organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The current president is Dave Thomas.[1] As of 1998, Mark Boslough was a board member of the organization.[2]

Founding

The organization was established in 1990 by Kendrick Frazier, the editor of Skeptical Inquirer.[3]

Activities

NMSR was involved in attempts to restore evolution to the science standards of New Mexico schools in the 1990s.[4]

Value of pi story

The organization's official newsletter is NMSR Reports. In April 1998, an article appeared in NMSR Reports stating that the state of Alabama intended to change the definition of pi to three, supposedly to bring it in line with the Bible's statements on the matter.[5] The article, which was satirical, was originally attributed to "April Holiday" of the "Associmated Press", but was really written by Boslough.[6] In addition to its appearance in NMSR Reports, the story was posted in the talk.origins newsgroup on April 1, 1998 by Thomas. Thomas confessed to the hoax later that day.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "About New Mexicans for Science & Reason". Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "NM Physicists Create Artificial Life on Web!". Talk Origins. May 1998. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Fleck, John (21 April 2008). "Skeptics group studies serious and silly science". USA Today. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Forrest, B. (21 June 2008). "Still creationism after all these years: understanding and counteracting intelligent design". Integrative and Comparative Biology 48 (2): 189–201. doi:10.1093/icb/icn032.
  5. ↑ Mikkelson, Barbara (16 July 2007). "Alabama's Slice of Pi". Snopes. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Fletcher, Dan (1 April 2011). "Alabama Redefines Pi - 1998". Time. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Roach, John (1 April 2004). "April Fools' Special: History's Hoaxes". National Geographic. Retrieved 16 December 2014.