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Are you a scientist? Are you named Steve or Stephanie?

Then you should sign up for the Steve list. They’re trying to get 900 qualified evolution supporters with names that are variants of “Steven” — I think they should aim for a nice round one thousand.

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Comments

  1. drew says

    I thought NCSE did this already. I’m almost certain I heard Eugenie Scott talking about this in a presentation.

  3. Sven DiMilo says

    It’s not that they already did it…it’s that they’re still doing it.
    Wish I could participate.

  7. Sven DiMilo says

    They could, maybe, make a list of biologists who oppose the flim-flam of anti-evolution–it is the list that matters.

    You mean, a list of biologists, period? You’re pretty humorless sometimes, Glen. It’s funny this way.

  9. Brett Samsen says

    We should badger Stephen Colbert to join the list. After all, he does have an honorary PhD from Knox College…

  10. Sven DiMilo says

    Humor’s in the eye of the beholder, I guess. Hell, I still get a grin out of “Who’s on first?”

  14. sjburnt says

    Rats. I was well on my way to registering when the rules changed from “having a doctoral degree” to “scientist”.

    Why on earth would they disallow the juris doctorates?

    (Go ahead, I deserve the lashings I am gonna get for this.)

    ;)

  15. SC says

    So, once we’ve done the Steves, let’s move on to the Richards, the Pauls, the Michaels, the Dans…

    Or the Lisas, the Barbaras, the Abbies, the Rebeccas,…

  16. Lee Picton says

    I think some have misunderstood. The Steve list has been around for awhile but a round 900 are wanted in time for the Year of Darwin; something about slogans and T-shirts, and NCSE is about five names short, I think.

  17. Sven DiMilo says

    …the Svantes, the Anderses, the Nicoles…
    and, here’s an excuse to mention my all-time favorite name of a real biologist. (She’s good, too; studies lungfish physiology and publishes well).

  18. kermit says

    SC@15

    So, once we’ve done the Steves, let’s move on to the Richards, the Pauls, the Michaels, the Dans…

    Or the Lisas, the Barbaras, the Abbies, the Rebeccas,…

    No, the first batch of lists would include the Stephanies, the umm, Richardines, The Paulines, the Michelles, etc.

    The Steve list includes quite a few females – Steven or variations of Steven.

  19. SC says

    and, here’s an excuse to mention my all-time favorite name of a real biologist.

    Oh, the poor dear. Hope she has a good sense of humor.

  20. says

    From the Project Steve introduction page:

    NCSE has been exhorted by its members to compile a list of thousands of scientists affirming the validity of the theory of evolution, but although we easily could have done so, we have resisted such pressure. We did not wish to mislead the public into thinking that scientific issues are decided by who has the longer list of scientists!

    From the FAQ:

    Is NCSE going to circulate a similar statement for Janes, Johns, and so on?

    No. It’s only funny once.

    Thanks for the link, PZ. We’re definitely hoping to get to the big 1K, but we’ll print “Over 900…” shirts first. Some of our Steves have been waiting a long time for theirs.

  21. SC says

    No, the first batch of lists would include the Stephanies, the umm, Richardines, The Paulines, the Michelles, etc.

    The Steve list includes quite a few females – Steven or variations of Steven.

    I’m aware of that. Perhaps some women aren’t thrilled at being variations on male theme in efforts called things like “The Steve Project.” Richardines?

  22. Rey Fox says

    “It’s not humorless to suggest that the same decade-old one not continue to be told.”

    Of course it is, humor never ceases to be funny! Like all those catchphrases that circulate here endlessly! Slut! Cephalopods! Ilk! Trophy wife! They never ever cease to be funny!

  24. says

    Lee Picton | September 8, 2008 1:20 PM #16

    I think some have misunderstood. The Steve list has been around for awhile but a round 900 are wanted in time for the Year of Darwin

    And if they don’t get 900, they will have failed proving that evolution is false!

  26. says

    Speaking as a Steve on the list (and living in Kansas, to boot). My understanding was that this was intended as a tongue-in-cheek response to The Discovery Institute’s “Scientific Dissent From Darwinism” list.

    The reasoning went along the lines of – we could put together a list of all the scientists who consider evolution to be a proper scientific theory, but that list would get very big, very fast, so how about limiting it to a single name. “Stephen” (and variations thereon) was chosen to honor Stephen Jay Gould.

    Stephen (NCSE Steve #598)

  27. Bill Dauphin says

    Wish I could participate.

    What, you mean Sven isn’t Swedish1 for Stephen?

    1 Please forgive me if I’ve guessed the wrong Scandinavian heritage for you (or if I’m wrong in attributing any Scandinavian heritage to you).

  28. Sven DiMilo says

    I’m Swedish all right–half, anyway–and so’s “Sven,” but alas, ’tis a nom de net. My real monicker’s not even close to qualiying.

  29. Qwerty says

    I am neither a scientist nor a Steve, but I am sure that there are enough to hit the 1,000 mark. It sure makes the few hundred that support ID look foolish.

  30. Alcari says

    Thanks for the link, PZ. We’re definitely hoping to get to the big 1K, but we’ll print “Over 900…” shirts first. Some of our Steves have been waiting a long time for theirs.

    Shouldn’t those be “Over 9000!!!” shirts?

  31. SC says

    “Stephen” (and variations thereon) was chosen to honor Stephen Jay Gould.

    Ah. Well, that makes sense, then. Carry on.

    /steps down off soapbox

  33. Bill Dauphin says

    Sven is not from Stephen

    I didn’t actually think it was; I was joking… though obviously not obviously enough. (Note to self: Lay in supply of emoticons!)

  34. windy, OM says

    I guessed you were joking, but couldn’t resist commenting on the linguistic aspect anyway… I think David Marjanović has been a bad influence on me!

  35. Sven DiMilo says

    Sven is…an ancient word for young man or male virgin

    Huh. Coupla problems here, Houston…

  37. SC says

    Sven is not from Stephen, it’s an ancient word for young man or male virgin…

    *notes for future mockage*

    I think David Marjanović has been a bad influence on me!

    A good influence! I love those comments!

  38. Owlmirror says

    Interestingly, “sveinn”, from which “Sven” derives, is also the source of “swain”, as in a lover (and not a fighter?). Although there is also a cognate with “swan”, a shepherd or pigherder; a farm laborer.

  40. says

    From Wiki,
    We (or NCSE) should not forget the other forms of “Steve”

    Stepan – Russian, Czech,
    Esteban – spanish
    Estéfano – portuguese
    Kepano – Hawaiian
    Etienne (really?) – French
    Istefanos – Turkish (any biologists left in Turkey?)
    Stefan – Swedish
    スティーブン、スティーブ – Japanese
    and of course ஸடீபன் for our Tamilese biologists

  41. windy, OM says

    Huh. Coupla problems here, Houston…

    Noted, in case I ever get around to starting “Project Sven”* ;)

    *that is, collecting names and addresses of virginal male biologists for unstated, possibly sinister purposes

  46. Cris says

    Reminds me of Bruce McCulloch’s song. “These are the Daves I know, I know, these are the Daves I know.”

  48. says

    this isn’t the first time I’ve wished my name was steve…
    come to think of it, i don’t even have my phD yet. time to go somewhere else to put myself on a list :(

    Engineers Named Alan (with one goddamned ‘l’)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    -#1 – nanoAl <——thats me!

  49. Black Centaur says

    Woo Hoo!
    I’m a Dr Steve and I’m a scientist.
    I’ve just signed up.
    God! it’s been 8 years since I even looked at my thesis and I think I could still write the abstract from memory!

  51. Dark Jaguar says

    Old joke? First I’ve heard of it. It’s funny because it’s completely bizarre.

    These are the Steves I know I know, these are the Steves I know. These are the Steves I know I know, these are the Steves I know. Some of them are Steven, but most of them are Steve. They all have their own hands but they come from different moms.

  53. Kseniya says

    Project Kseniya is alive and well. Working on double-digit membership, even as we speak.

    I always figured “Sven DiMilo” was a good-looking, though armless, love god.

  56. Owlmirror says

    And I have arms.

    As a non-cephalopod, are you not mostly ‘armless?

    Ow. I think I sprained something there….

  57. Sven DiMilo says

    Oh, I’ve got tentacle envy for sure.
    And yes, my fictive middle initial is U.
    But enough about me…anybody here namned Steve?

  58. David Marjanović, OM says

    I guessed you were joking, but couldn’t resist commenting on the linguistic aspect anyway… I think David Marjanović has been a bad influence on me!

    Come, come to the dork side of the farce.

    (Not my idea.)

    [É]tienne (really?) – French

    YA RLY. Es became é a couple of hundred years ago, and the p –> b –> v must have disappeared sometime.

    Though all this is so little obvious that people tend to be named Stéphane nowadays. The female form, historically Étiennette, was replaced by Stéphanie longer ago.

    [İ]stefanos – Turkish (any biologists left in Turkey?)

    Maybe, but that’s a Christian name. Turkish-speaking Christians are very rare.

  59. negentropyeater says

    Etienne (really?) – French

    Etienne is not much in use nowadays.
    Stephane is much more frequent.

  66. Steve Norley says

    (smug on) I’ve been on the list for a few years now and have already worn out my second T-shirt. Even better than the T-shirt is the publication “The Morphology of Steve” (Annals of Improbable Research, July-August 2004). Being a co-author of a paper along with two Nobel Laureates plus Stephen Hawking makes for great bragging*.(smug off)

    *If only I could achieve that with a ‘real’ paper.

  68. Steve says

    I’m a Steve and a PhD, but it’s in accounting. Not sure if that would qualify as related to biology.