USF showcases creationism critic tonight

Posted Feb 9, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Feb 9, 2012 at 06:42 PM

In honor of Charles Darwin’s birthday 203 years ago, USF is presenting famous science teacher Eugenie Scott.

Her message: Students can’t understand science without understanding the central role of evolution.

She speaks tonight at 7 in the Fine Arts Hall, room 101, focusing on state lawmakers’ efforts to undermine the teaching of evolution.

Scott, an anthropologist, is a former chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2009 she was the first recipient of the Stephen Jay Gould Prize from the Society for the Study of Evolution.

As the director of the National Center for Science Education she leads the movement of scientists and educators who oppose the teaching of creationism and its offshoot, intelligent design.

It’s a “science stopper,” she says.

While she’s here she’ll host a workshop for school teachers to show them that evolution is a key part of a science curriculum.

And because no university news is complete without a mention of STEM, USF Humanities Institute Director, Elizabeth Bird, notes the irony of Florida’s politicians challenging the teaching of evolution while pushing for more science, technology, engineering and math training.

“Many people, including Florida politicians, don’t understand that scientific literacy and competency can’t be achieved without a grasp of the core principles of evolutionary theory.”

You can read more here.

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Times reporter goes to work at USF St. Pete

Posted Feb 7, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Feb 7, 2012 at 04:00 PM

USF St. Petersburg has a new media chief.

Tom Scherberger, recently of the Tampa Bay Times and years ago with the Tampa Tribune, is the new communications director.

He takes over for Melanie Marquez, who left USF St. Pete for a media job with Pinellas County Schools.

Scherberger will handle media relations and develop internal and external communication strategies for the campus.

“We are excited to welcome someone with Tom’s breadth of experience to our growing campus,’’ Chancellor Margaret Sullivan said in a news release.

Scherberger, 56, spent 20 years at the Times, where he was a reporter, editorial writer, state editor and Tampa city editor. He recently returned to reporting, covering Tampa International Airport, the Port of Tampa and tourism for the newspaper’s business section.

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Slutty Brownies, Homemade Snickers And Bacon-Wrapped Beef Hot Dogs [This Week’s Weekend Eats]

Posted Feb 6, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Feb 6, 2012 at 02:03 PM

One thing I love about doing Weekend Eats each week is that the longer I do it, the more I get a sense about what each contributor digs about food.

This week’s winner, Sandi McKenna, is a perfect example.

Sandi, who is best known on Twitter as @mcmedia and the co-host of the Midlife Road-Trip. Just about every week, she sends in great dishes she enjoys on her travels.

Some previous shots from her include:

Pork Belly Flatbread

Carnitas at The Taco Bus

Thin-crust pizza with sweet basil, fresh mozzarella and sauce

For this week’s beautiful seafood paella photo, and for her previous contributions, Sandi wins this week’s prize:

A copy of “Feeding The Dragon; A culinary travelogue through China with recipes” by Mary Kate Tate and Nate Tate.

Other contributions included:

@otmdish - Molecular Charcuterie

@karenmcallister - Celebrated becoming mom of a teen @bernssteakhouse. Grilled Scallops for me. YumYum.

Yum indeed.

Here’s this week’s gallery of yum. Click each photo to get a description:

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USF Poly board member quits, saying USF is scuttling the “Poly model”

Posted Feb 2, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Feb 2, 2012 at 09:05 PM

The Poly drama continues.

One of the biggest cheerleaders for USF Polytechnic’s independence, Mark Kaylor, has resigned from the Poly governing board with a flourish.

Kaylor, a lawyer for another independence advocate, state Sen. JD Alexander, sent a letter to USF President Judy Genshaft last week saying there was a “systemic problem” with the governance of the USF system.

“While it may not be clear to many, it is very clear to me that the true underlying intentions of USF Tampa is to scuttle the polytechnic model and otherwise thwart any opportunity to meet the benchmarks set forth by the Board of Governors when it granted status for a 12th university,” he wrote.

The letter was dated Jan. 27, just four days after Kaylor commended Genshaft and USF at a Poly campus board meeting. Genshaft and USF trustee Brian Lamb met with the campus board to update members on the independence effort.

“I’m glad to see board members from Tampa engaged,” Kaylor said to them.

But the next day the new Poly chief, David Touchton, fired five top administrators in a reorganization that he said would save the campus $1 million. They included the people who ran the international recruiting programs.

That set Kaylor off, it seems.

In addition to Genshaft, he wrote Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, a member of the state university Board of Governors who leads a board committee monitoring the independence moves.

He said Hosseini must “act swiftly to prevent further dismantling of the polytechnic/business plan model.”

Kaylor was part of a community group, led by Alexander, who began pushing in July for Poly to separate from USF.

In a long, emotional debate in November, the state university Board of Governors struck something of a compromise, voting to give Poly its independence once it met several benchmarks showing it could stand alone.

The following month, Genshaft dismissed then-Poly Chancellor Marshall Goodman, whom Kaylor had supported.

Hosseini chided Genshaft for her seemingly sudden decision to replace Goodman with Touchton, who had opposed the local independence effort. Genshaft vowed to keep board members in the loop in the future and in meetings since then, Hosseini has praised Genshaft and USF trustees for their cooperation.

She will decide who replaces Kaylor.

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Decision 2012: Florida’s Pizza Primary [Every Slice Of Newsroom Pie Tells A Story]

Posted Feb 1, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Feb 1, 2012 at 05:52 PM

Hidden behind the news facade of last night’s coverage of the Florida GOP primary was the important feeding of the reporters covering the election.

Newsroom tradition holds that food is brought in to feed those reporters, editors, copy editors, page designers and photographers who are working late.

This is pretty standard stuff on big stories that push past the daytime deadline.

For example, when the barrage of Hurricane CharleyFrancesJeanIvan (they all blended together) came ashore in Florida in 2004, many of us worked through the storm - nay, even slept under our desks - to bring you the news.

That required food, of course.

Stop. Coldcut sandwich time.

You might scoff at sandwiches, but I’ve seen worse. And better. Trays of arroz con pollo, Cuban bread and salad once made it to the newsroom. That was a beautiful day. Wouldn’t have minded if that became my ever-repeating Groundhog Day, actually.

So, with the mudslinging GOP primary race coming to to the polling booth yesterday, thoughts turned to feeding the news troops. And those thoughts turned to pizza. Domino’s, to be exact.

That’s reporter Howard Altman in front of our carbohydrate buffet last night. That’s the conference table where Big Fat Important News Decisions get made every day to bring readers the Tampa Tribune they love.

Last night, important decisions got made as to which pizza was most popular. The results:

Pepperoni and pineapple, the Hawaiian as it were, did not fare well. As you can see, it was the Herman Cain of pizza, seemingly popular but flawed in the execution. Which is ironic, since former GOP presidential candidate Cain was chairman and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza.

Faring nearly as poorly was this amalgamation of peppers, both sweet and hot. Perhaps this was the Michelle Bachman representative pie.

This Meat Lovers Pizza, which was mostly loved, but left cold and alone in the box, had the look of a third-place finisher. Think of it like Rick Santorum. Or the 2011 Boston Red Sox. A good showing, but not enough to get to the playoffs, as it were.

To quote Liz Lemon:  “Lovers.. oh, that word bums me out, unless it’s between meat and pizza.”

These two veggie pies were like third-party candidates that split the vote, the Ross Perot or Ron Paul of pies to put it kindly. I liked how the handler labeled them “Veggie,” as if people needed to be warned of impending disappointment.

So which was the Mitt Romney of pizzas last night?

BACON IN A LANDSLIDE! As if anyone had a doubt.

A greasy, cardboard-staining landslide, it would appear. If Domino’s had any mercy, they’d serve that caloric beast with a defibrillator and a diaper.

What lessons could we divine from this experiment? Mostly that bacon is the feel-good topping that pleases just about everyone. Maybe Newt should change his strategy of promising bases on the moon and run on a pro-bacon platform.

Talk about your pork-barrel politics.

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