Brian Alters

Alters has a B.Sc. in biology and a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Southern California.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

Alters is the author of several books on biology and the intelligent design controversy. With his wife Sandra M. Alters, he has written Biology: Understanding LifeAlters & Alters, 2006 which he describes as "a university biology non-majors textbook", and Teaching Biology in Higher Education,Alters & Alters, 2005 "a book written to instructors at the college level on how to teach biology". He is also the author of Teaching Biological Evolution in Higher Education: Methodological, Religious, and Non-Religious IssuesAlters, 2005 which he says is "a book specifically about the conflict that instructors see students bring into their courses concerning evolution". Alters and Alters have also written Defending Evolution in the Classroom,Alters & Alters, 2001 with a foreword by Stephen Jay Gould, which aims to help science teachers to understand the creation–evolution controversy and to teach evolution effectively in light of the controversy.{{cite web |url=http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763711187/ |title=Defending Evolution: A Guide to the Evolution/Creation Controversy |website=Jones & Bartlett Learning |accessdate=April 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008155432/http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763711187/ |archive-date=October 8, 2008 |url-status=dead }} He also contributed a chapter to the a chapter in Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for Our Schools,[http://www.ncseweb.org/nioc/ Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for Our Schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205235032/http://www.ncseweb.org/nioc/ |date=2006-12-05 }} {{ISBN|0-8070-3278-6}} edited by Eugenie Scott and Glenn Branch of the NCSE.

Because of this specialization, he was an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the 2005 case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.[http://www2.ncseweb.org/kvd/experts/alters.pdf Expert witness report from Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221195331/http://www2.ncseweb.org/kvd/experts/alters.pdf |date=February 21, 2006 }}[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day8am.html#day8am493 testimony in Kitzmiller v. Dover][http://www.canadian-universities.net/News/Press-Releases/January_4_2006_Intelligent_design_decision_reflects_Dr_Brian_Alte.html Intelligent design decision reflects Dr. Brian Alters' testimony] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515162643/http://www.canadian-universities.net/News/Press-Releases/January_4_2006_Intelligent_design_decision_reflects_Dr_Brian_Alte.html |date=May 15, 2006 }} McGill University press release, January 4, 2006 He was also brought in for the retrial of Selman v. Cobb County[http://www2.ncseweb.org/selman/2006-11-16_Alters_expert_report.pdf Alters Expert witness report for Selman v. Cobb County] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210406/http://www2.ncseweb.org/selman/2006-11-16_Alters_expert_report.pdf |date=September 30, 2007 }} before that was settled out of court in favor of the plaintiffs.

In 2003, Alters was first awarded the McGill Faculty of Education's highest teaching award, the Distinguished Teaching Award, followed by the University-wide Principal's Prize for Excellence in Teaching.[http://ncseweb.org/news/2003/12/brian-alters-wins-highest-teaching-award-at-mcgill-00477 Brian Alters Wins Highest Teaching Award at McGill], National Center for Science Education{{Cite web |title=Ministry of Education and McGill team up to create novel teaching tools |url=https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/ministry-education-and-mcgill-team-create-novel-teaching-tools-9919 |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=Newsroom: McGill Institutional Communications |language=en}}

In 2005, he was appointed to the board of directors of the American-based National Center for Science Education and received its "friend of Darwin" award.

In 2008, Alters became a co-host of CBC Television's nationally broadcast prime-time science series Project X.[http://www.cbc.ca/projectx/ Project X - Home] His co-hosts were Dr. Jennifer Gardy (bioinformatics/microbiology at the University of British Columbia), Dr. Brian Fleck (professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Alberta), and Marc Huot (mechanical engineering student at the University of Alberta).

In 2005 Alters was denied funding for a research project provisionally titled "Detrimental effects of popularizing anti-evolution's intelligent design theory on Canadian students, teachers, parents, administrators and policymakers." by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The SSHRC's reason for the rejection included the statement, "Nor did the committee consider that there was adequate justification for the assumption in the proposal that the theory of Evolution, and not Intelligent Design theory, was correct".[http://ncseweb.org/news/2006/04/canadian-controversy-over-funding-research-antievolutionism-00793 Canadian controversy over funding for research on antievolutionism] This was reported in Nature[http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060403/full/440720b.html Doubts over evolution block funding by Canadian agency], Nature and other media.[http://www.the-scientist.com/2006/7/1/19/1/ No intelligent design, no $], The Scientist[http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=0a8fac12-185a-445f-a463-5d127eaa40f2&k=11346&p=1 Prof denied grant over evolution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024195226/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=0a8fac12-185a-445f-a463-5d127eaa40f2&k=11346&p=1 |date=October 24, 2012 }}[http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=1de94dcd-4add-43a0-9260-0ef9dd7e3413&k=14728 Intelligent design not smart enough for science] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805004806/http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=1de94dcd-4add-43a0-9260-0ef9dd7e3413&k=14728 |date=August 5, 2011 }}, Windsor Star

Letters were written to the SSHRC in support of Alters by the American Institute of Biological Sciences,[http://www.aibs.org/position-statements/20060412_aibs_letter_to_3.html AIBS Letter to Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Regarding the Importance of Evolution] the American Sociological Association, the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution,[http://www.ecoevo.ca/en/2006/SSHRC.htm CSEE letter to SSHRC] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927061937/http://www.ecoevo.ca/en/2006/SSHRC.htm |date=September 27, 2007 }} and and others. The SSHRC replied by noting that "theory of evolution is not in doubt" but said that the reason for the rejection was that "the committee had serious concerns about the proposed research design".[http://www.ecoevo.ca/en/2006/SSHRCrep.htm SSHR reply to CSEE] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927061943/http://www.ecoevo.ca/en/2006/SSHRCrep.htm |date=September 27, 2007 }}

• {{cite book |title=Biology: Understanding Life |year=2006 |author1=Alters, Sandra |author2=Alters, Brian J. |location=Hoboken, NJ |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=0-471-43365-9 |oclc=58793066 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/biologyunderstan0000alte }}
• {{cite book|title=Teaching Biology in Higher Education |year=2005 |author1=Alters, Brian J. | author2=Alters, Sandra| location=Hoboken, NJ | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | isbn=0-471-70169-6 | oclc= 86082160 |pages=107}}
• {{cite book|title=Teaching Biological Evolution in Higher Education: Methodological, Religious, and Non-Religious Issues |year=2005 | author=Alters, Brian J. |location=Sudbury, Mass. | publisher=Jones and Bartlett |isbn=0-7637-2889-6 |oclc=56103806 | pages=136}}
• {{cite book|title=Defending Evolution in the Classroom| year=2001| author1=Alters, Brian J. |author2=Alters, Sandra |location=Sudbury, Mass. |publisher=Jones & Bartlett |isbn=0-7637-1118-7 | oclc=46343269 | pages=261 }}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070122174400/http://www.mcgill.ca/researchoffice/units/#EVOLUTION Evolution Education Research Centre (EERC)]
• [http://ncseweb.org/news/2006/06/brian-alters-discusses-evolution-education-at-nih-001006 Brian Alters discusses evolution and education at NIH], June 22, 2006
• [http://ncseweb.org/rncse/26/1-2/ties-to-canada-0 "Ties" to Canada] by Brian Alters

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Category:1950 births

Category:Canadian educational theorists

Category:Critics of creationism

Category:USC Rossier School of Education alumni

Category:Harvard University faculty

Category:Living people

Category:McGill University alumni