Science Iowa

Attention, science advocates: You must act now.
An unidentified Iowa Department of Education bureaucrat (or bureaucrats) altered an expert committee’s draft of revised science standards for Iowa elementary and secondary students. https://educate.iowa.gov/media/10837/download?inline The changes downplay or remove references to evolution and climate change. KCRG-TV tracked the changes: https://www.kcrg.com/2025/01/15/iowa-could-remove-mentions-climate-change-education-standards/ The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that members of the 37-member science standards revision team didn’t know about the modifications until the department released the draft for public comment early this year. https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/committee-members-we-didnt-recommend-science-standards-omitting-climate-change-evolution/
We still can block these unacceptable, unscientific modifications, but time is short.
First, go to this survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GHS2RYC to comment on the proposed draft. Ask department officials to restore climate change and evolution language to what the committee put forward. The comment period ends on February 3.
Suggested language: "Please restore references to climate change and evolution in the draft to language the science standards review team put forward. We must adhere to concepts supported by the weight of evidence and the consensus of experts."
Second, the last of five public forums on the standards will be from 4 to 6 p.m. this coming Thursday. January 23, at Room B100 of the Grimes Building, 400 E. 14th St. in Des Moines. You can watch (and perhaps comment) via Zoom. https://idoe.zoom.us/j/97968828538?pwd=Ek6o34fqpaTYkFGNTUZj5nbFjpLXAl.1 If you’re able, please attend in person and register to speak.
This is one of many incremental ways that anti-science forces will try to shape reality to match their religious and political beliefs over the next few years. We must draw the line now.
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Yours in support of science,

The Science Iowa team

Without good data, Iowans can't know whether air quality measures are working and where and when to avoid bad air quality. Our friends at the Iowa Environmental Council want the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to improve its air quality monitoring network, which is lacking in significant areas. Go to the link before Sunday, June 16 to comment on the DNR's policy.

https://iaenvironment.salsalabs.org/dnrairqualitymonitoring/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=f66f734b-deb8-44fc-94a5-76b833865304

Daniel Schmude, a Republican running for the nomination to Iowa House District 35, supports the Iowa Climate Action Plan and believes we need to gather evidence to convince climate change doubters. Read more of his views at the Iowa Science Policy Candidate Survey. We’re awaiting responses from his opponent, Angela Kay Schreader, and from many other primary election candidates.

https://iowasciencepolicy.weebly.com/

Doug Campbell, seeking the Republican nomination for Iowa Senate District 30, says climate change is a fraud, and waste from confined feeding operations should be treated the same way as human waste. Read more of his views at the Iowa Science Policy Candidate Survey. We’re waiting for responses from his opponent, Waylon Brown, and from many other primary election candidates.

https://iowasciencepolicy.weebly.com/

As longtime Science Iowa members know, for every election cycle since 2018 we’ve collaborated with multiple Iowa organizations to press candidates on their views regarding science, environmental, health and education issues. We help lead this effort with ASPIRE and Connecting Science to Society, each a chapter of the National Science Policy Network. (https://www.scipolnetwork.org/science-on-the-ballot) NSPN leads the Science on the Ballot initiative to do similar surveys in other states.

Our Iowa Science Policy Candidate Survey (https://iowasciencepolicy.weebly.com/) has improved with every election and in 2022 garnered responses from candidates at the top of the ticket: the U.S. Senate race.

We’re beginning 2024’s cycle with a questionnaire ahead of the June 4 primary election. With only 25 such races across the U.S. and Iowa houses of representatives and the Iowa Senate, this is soft launch for the fall general election. Nonetheless, we hope responses will help voters choose candidates that best reflect their views.

Here are districts that have primary races:

• U.S. House: 1, 3, and 4.

• Iowa House: 20, 22, 24, 34, 35, 41, 44, 60, 64, 72, 89 and 91.

• Iowa Senate: 16, 26, 30 and 38.

If you live in one of these districts, go here to find responses we’ve received from primary candidates. If there are none – a likelihood – please use the provided contact information at the top of the form and urge them to respond. We provided some handy text (https://iowasciencepolicy.weebly.com/how-to-help.html) for you.

You also can help support this effort with a donation here: https://hello4260.wixsite.com/scienceiowa/donate. Your help will be especially needed as we prepare for the general election.

Together, we can put science at the center of our elections.