David Leaf is a biology professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham. He is an expert in molecular and cell biology and evolutionary developmental biology and has taught a course for high school and middle school teachers on the controversy involving evolution-creationism-intelligent design.

Christopher Thrutchley is a lawyer in Tulsa, Okla., who has written a paper titled “Eroding Biblical Foundation, Exploding Judicial Activism,” about what he sees as the erosion that teaching evolution has had on the nation’s laws.

The Texas Freedom Network is a pro-evolution citizens watchdog group that monitors science education standards in the state. Its Texas Faith Network is a group of clergy and laypeople who would like to keep religious teaching about the origins of the world and of life out of the public school classroom.

Catherine Russell is the author behind the Epic of Evolution website, which is designed to assist educators in teaching evolution. She is based in Boulder, Colo. She can discuss evolution education and celebrating grace through evolution.

Robert Pollack is a professor of biological sciences at Columbia University in New York City. He is the author of The Faith of Biology & the Biology of Faith and was part of an online panel that discussed the conflict between religion and evolution for the PBS series Evolution.

Thomas Nagel is a professor of law and philosophy at New York University who has written a paper describing the constitutionality of “mentioning” intelligent design in science classes. He has described himself as an atheist.

The Society for the Study of Evolution promotes the study of organic evolution.

See “An Evolving Debate about Evolution,” resources from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The Pew package includes background on the evolution controversy and how that has played out in legislation and policies in various states. Pew also has a graphic showing how members of different faiths view evolutionary theory.

Read an Aug. 23, 2008, New York Times story about a Florida high school teacher approaching the subject of evolution in his science class.