Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Darwin
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Charles Robert Darwin was born into a genteel family in Shropshire, England, on February 12, 1809. Scientists from around the globe will celebrate the bicentennial of his birth, as well as the 150th anniversary of his monumental work, On the Origin of Species on or about February 12, 2009.
In recognition of “Darwin Day,” Scott McRobert, Ph.D., professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, will present: “A Brief Overview of the Voyage of the ‘Beagle’ and the Theory of Natural Selection – A Celebration for the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Charles Darwin” on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 11:30 a.m., in the Forum Theatre of Campion Student Center.
“Both Darwin’s birth and the sesquicentennial anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species are major landmarks in the history of science, which is why so many institutions around the world are commemorating these events,” notes McRobert, a geneticist and evolutionary biologist who has travelled to the Galapagos Islands, the site of Darwin’s case studies during his voyage on the HMS Beagle.
The seminar, which is free and open to the public, is meant for a general audience. McRobert will present a brief overview of the history of evolutionary thought, some details about Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, andwill derive the theory of natural selection based on Darwin’s observations. McRobert says, “There will be lots of stories, great pictures, and since this is a celebration of the life of a grand scientist, I’ll try to make it all fun!”