New Mexicans for Science and Reason
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| Founder | Kendrick Frazier |
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| Purpose | Science advocacy |
| Headquarters | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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President
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Dave Thomas |
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Vice President
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John Covan |
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Treasurer
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Nancy Shelton |
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Past President
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John Geohegan |
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Key people
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Eddy Jacobs, Kim Johnson, Marilyn Savitt-Kring, Robert Cormack, Kendrick Frazier, John Geissman, Alan Hale, Randy Thornhill, Mark Boslough |
| Affiliations | Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), Coalition for Excellence in Science and Math Education (CESE) |
| Website | www |
New Mexicans for Science and Reason (also known by the abbreviation NMSR) is a science advocacy organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded by Skeptical Inquirer editor Kendrick Frazier on May 16th, 1990. As of 1998, the President is physicist and mathematician Dave Thomas. In 1996 creationists on the New Mexico School Board tried to change science standards to water down instruction of evolution. NMSR was instrumental in having that decision reversed.
The organization was established in 1990 by Kendrick Frazier, the editor of Skeptical Inquirer. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry's (CSICOP) focus during that time was to start local skeptic groups. Frazier, as a resident of Albuquerque, felt that the area had a good mix of potential members. "We have a lot of bizarre claims," he said, "from UFOs in the south to New Age claims in Santa Fe". At that time New Mexico was tied for second place in Skeptical Inquirer's state rankings of subscribers per capita, behind first-place California and tied with Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts in second. The idea, according to Frazier was "to encourage critical thinking". Frazier had his eye on John Geohegan as a possible president of the group but, when asked, Geohegan felt he was too busy to do so. Two years later, CSICOP's Executive Director Barry Karr sent letters to most of the SI subscribers in New Mexico asking them if they would like to start a new group in New Mexico. He enclosed a survey and Frazier eventually received thirty-seven back. A venue was reserved at the Museum of Natural History on May 16, 1990. Twenty-eight people attended that first meeting and Geohegan agreed to be chairman. The birth of the group's newsletter The Enchanted Skeptic was agreed upon and Pen La Farge became editor. The name of the group was selected the following month. Frazier suggested that the name should have the word science in it and "say what we are for, not what we are against".
NMSR was involved in attempts to restore evolution to the science standards of New Mexico schools in the 1990s. To combat the campaign against evolution, a sister group was started called the Coalition for Excellence in Science and Math Education. While there is still overlap between the members, the CESE and the NMSR are separate identities. The CESE exists for serious activism and the NMSR is "where members go to play".
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Wikipedia