Tag Archives: ignorance

Andrade Keynote Address Press Release: IBE 2017 conference:

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Press Release  — for immediate release

Institute for Biological Engineering 2017 Annual Conference

Salt Palace and Downtown Marriott, Salt Lake City, Utah 

Mar. 30 – April 1, 2017

Biological Engineers Urged to confront Ignorance, BS, and Lies

Biological engineers are being urged to combat ignorance, BS, and outright lies at their annual meeting this week in Salt Lake City. The 17th annual conference is at the downtown Marriott Hotel and Salt Palace Convention Center Thursday through Saturday, April 1.

One of the keynote speakers is Joseph Andrade, a University of Utah Distinguished Professor of Engineering, and a 2012 candidate for Utah’s District 2 US Congress seat. He lost that election to Representative Chris Stewart.

Andrade, retired from biological engineering research and teaching, is now a novelist. He self-published and released State Change – a chemical and political fantasy last year, well before the 2016 elections.

“A group of aging activists selects well known political ideologues and subjects them to clandestine (and illegal) revelation engineering,” he explains, ‘including Utah’s Congressional delegation.” He smiles.

His keynote talk builds upon the novel and upon his earlier Congressional run – to empower biological engineers to get more involved in science education, in politics, and in running for public office. He suggests his colleagues use social media to confront ignorance, BS, and lies.

The talk is in Ballroom A, Salt Palace Convention Center, 11:15 am this Saturday, April 1. Here are the slides from the talk:

Download PDF

Coal Reality Anxiety Evil Witches

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More coffee talk – this time in the cafe at The Leonardo.

“You made it to the BLM coal lease moratorium hearing?” Bill asked.

“Yes – over 500 people – standing room only,” I answered.

“And most of them were yellow t-shirted miners from Utah’s coal country,” Jay added.

“Yes, miners, drivers, family, local business people. The mining-impacted communities were well represented.”

“The picture I saw in the paper had some 400 or so of the total in yellow t-shirts.”

“That’s about right,” I said. “And perhaps 2/3 of the over 100 three minute talks were to release the moratorium on coal leases – and to blame Obama, Interior, and the BLM for their ‘war on coal’.”

“The Governor and his team – and the Congressmen – still don’t realize that the entire fossil fuel economy is changing,” Bill said. “Rather than do anything to help those impacted by the change, they look for excuses and scapegoats.”

“They look for – and invent – witches,” Jay said. “And their patriarchal, self-righteous, arrogant attitude convinces those impacted miners to also seek witches: Obama, Sally Jewel.”

“All that patriarchy breeds arrogance, which fuels ignorance – and denial,” I said.

“That sounds like a great title for an op-ed,” Bill said, smiling.

“I think I’d add EVIL to the title. Their ignorance and denial really does make them evil, in my estimation. They sit there collecting their salaries and donations, and the poor miners and drivers in Central and Eastern Utah become more afflicted with anxiety, fear – even depression.”

“That makes them – the Governor, Legislature, Congressional do-nothing delegation – evil in my book.”

“Mine, too,” Bill concluded.