Matthew Chapman

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Matthew Chapman is a journalist screenwriter and director His latest film The Ledge which he wrote and directed stars Charlie Hunnam Liv Tyler Terence Howard and Patrick Wilson It was shot in Louisiana in spring 2010 and was accepted into the main US Dramatic competition at Sundance 2011 Bought by IFC it will have its theatrical release in the US in early summer The film deals with an intellectual personal and ultimately fatal feud between an atheist and an evangelical Christian Matthew Chapmans mother Clare was the daughter of the philosophy professor and author Francis Cornford and poet Frances Cornford née Darwin and through his maternal grandmother he is a greatgreat grandson of Charles Darwin His father Cecil Chapman was the son of the noted physicist and astronomer Sydney Chapman responsible for early research on the nature of the ozone layer Chapman has written widely on the creationevolution controversy in the US particularly the case of Kitzmiller v Dover Area School District in which 11 parents successfully sued the school district to prevent them from reading a required statement aloud in ninthgrade science classes whenever evolution was taught He has written and directed six films written numerous screenplays had articles published in Harpers magazine and is the author of two books Trials Of The Monkey An Accidental Memoir and 40 Days and 40 Nights Darwin Intelligent Design God OxyContin and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania He is married to documentary film producer Denise Dummont with whom he has a daughter Anna Bella Charles Darwin Teixeira Chapman and a stepson Diogo Marzo Matthew Chapman founded Science Debate 2008 now simply Science Debate His cofounders were fellow screenwriter Shawn Lawrence Otto CEO of the organization science writer Chris Mooney marine biologist and science blogger Sheril Kirshenbaum noted physicist Lawrence Krauss and philosopher Austin Dacey The organization was formed to pressure the presidential candidates to hold a debate on science and technology issues Almost 40000 people signed onto the website ScienceDebate2008com in support of the idea including many Nobel laureates hundreds of universities university presidents dozens of science publications business leaders and innovators and practically every major science organization in America Although the candidates did not agree to the two televised debates proposed by Science Debate 2008 both Obama and McCain did participate in an online written version providing detailed responses to the 14 Top Science Questions Facing America a list suggested by the organizations members Several of the earliest supporters of Science Debate are now in the Obama administration including Energy Secretary Steven Chu NOAA Director Jane Lubchenco and Presidential Science Advisor John Holdren The organization continues to advocate for more discussion of science in public life is expanding into education and intends to hold debates in the midterms and in 2012 while developing a greater international profile Debates modeled on the Science Debate initiative either have or will take place in Italy Germany and Sweden Matthew Chapman remains its President Matthew Chapman currently lives in New York Description above from the Wikipedia article Matthew Chapman author licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia