Addendum to Survey

[Amado Narvaez <anarvaez@umd5.umd.edu>]

Whoops. I forgot to mention that there were a couple of responses to the 
survey: "What I wish children in school would learn about dinosaurs" 
that involved cladistics and the BCF, BADD, BAAM viewpoints. It was difficult 
for me to consolidate those concepts. How about:
        17. Research shows [a favorite buzz-phrase in education--a.n.] that 
dinosaurs and birds are closely related and that birds may have evolved 
from dinosaurs or may indeed BE dinosaurs.

Somehow it was very difficult for me to use the "c"-word in the actual 
list. I felt that trying to explain cladistics to elementary school 
students would be impossible, especially since I am not an authority on 
the subject. I do agree with some of you that it would be appropriate at 
the high school level.

Which brings up another question. Have scientists outside the 
paleontology community embraced cladistics whole-heartedly? I realize 
that since cladistics is bound up in shared evolutionary characteristics, 
it is an integral part of the study of paleontology. But how integral 
would it be to the study of, say, veterinary science? (I just noticed 
that my pine spell-checker does not recognize the word "cladistics.")

----- Amado Narvaez
      anarvaez@umd5.umd.edu