President Lundin and introduced today’s speaker, George Harper, a new member of the club, a biology baccalaureate graduate of SUNY Fredonia, with a biology PhD from University of North Carolina. Later, as a professor at Hendrix College, he established the Hendrix Science Communication Initiative to promote effective science communication. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic Georgia has wife Jennifer (also a club member) moved to the greater Jamestown area where George served at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, and then in August 2023 accepted that the position of Stewardship Manager at Science Friday, a job involved in financial and donor support of the program.
George began by describing a strong resonance between the goals of Science Friday and Rotary International in their shared commitment to making significant changes for good in the world. Science Friday is a weekly, two-hour radio program founded in 1991 [as a 501(c)(3)] by Ira Flatow, now aired on nearly 500 stations across the nation to present new and important scientific information to the public. It is an engaging, conversational presentation of scientists engaged in important projects of discovery. Locally the program is heard on Saturday afternoon (1-3) and Friday night (10-12) on WBFO/WUBJ.
The program’s mission was to present science in a way that would make it engaging, accessible, and useful in everyday life and conversations. Science Friday’s stated values, George explained, are nearly identical to Rotary’s Four-Way Test, focusing on Integrity, Honesty, Community, and Trust, along with the additional values of Innovation, Curiosity, and Equity. With science deeply involved in every aspect of life, Science Friday’s values are also strongly consistent with and harmonious with Rotary International’s Seven Causes. George then presented a point-by-point, stepwise explanation of how Science Friday promotes all of Rotary’s causes, from promoting peace, health, resource management, maternal and child wellness, education, economy and infrastructure, AI, and environmental stewardship. These concepts do not only describe past activities, but potentials for future progress by Rotary and for our relevance in the world to come. George and Ira suggest we have a blank check to invest in the future. Our challenge is to do it wisely and well, beyond words and good intentions, focused on purposeful action. Let Science Friday stand out among our most valuable resources in science communication.
As for all of Rotary’s guest speakers, President Lundin shared that a donation in George’s name will be made to Rotary’s worldwide End Polio initiative, assuring that four children will never contract that soon-to-be-extinct disease.
