TLEL professor earns prestigious Friend of Darwin recognition

Adam Laats, professor of education and history in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership, was one of three nationwide selected in August for a 2022 Friend of Darwin award by the National Center for Science Education (NCSE).

Laats has authored multiple books, including Creationism USA: Bridging the Impasse on Teaching Evolution (2020). He has also published articles in scholarly journals and contributed essays to numerous news outlets, including The Washington Post and The Atlantic.

Friend of Darwin awards are presented annually to a select few who demonstrate outstanding efforts to support NCSE and advance its goal of defending and supporting the teaching of evolution. According to NCSE Executive Director Ann Reid, Laats’ contributions include helping to chart the contours of the controversies over evolution education going back to before the 1925 Scopes trial.