The rest of this week is Darwin Day here at the University of Wisconsin. I have a bunch of local readers, and I want to make sure the word is out about all the activities, Thursday through Saturday. Most of the action happens at the brand-new Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, which gives you another reason to come check it out!
We have some incredible speakers coming for these events. And then, there's me, talking on Saturday about Neandertal genetics. In case you're interested in that kind of thing...
From our press release:
We start Thursday by hosting high school and middle school teachers for a workshop regarding tools for teaching human evolution. At noon, Alan Love, University of Minnesota, will present a talk entitled, "Darwin's Functional Reasoning, Homology, and the Structure(s) of Evolutionary Theory." Then we will listen to four short talks with discussions on evolutionary phenomena related to humans, followed that evening by a showing of the 2009 film Creation: The True Story of Charles Darwin. UW-Madison History of Science Professors Lynn Nyhart and Ron Numbers , along with Alan Love, will lead a panel discussion on the movie.
Friday evening, we will have a short reception before Jill Pruetz gives the keynote talk on savanna chimpanzees. Dr. Pruetz has worked with chimps and discovered that they not only make tools (spears), but they carry them into battle. She has won numerous awards for her work and has been featured in National Geographic as a rising scientist.
On Saturday, we will host a variety of interactive exhibits, including our multifaceted Tree of Life. The Tree is especially designed for children of all ages. In addition, John Hawks, UW-Madison, will give us insights into Neanderthals and their genomes. Karen Rosenberg, University of Delaware, will follow with a discussion of the evolution of the human birth process. We wrap it all up with a panel discussion.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
- 8:00 am Teacher's Workshop. Presentation by Kristin Jenkins, NESCent and UW-Anthropology colleagues
- 12:00 Alan Love, U Minnesota "Darwin's Functional Reasoning, Homology, and the Structure(s) of Evolutionary Theory"
- 1:30-4:30 pm Outreach Symposium featuring Ryan Haasl (UW-Genetics) Eve Emshwiller (UW-Botany), Karen Steudel (UW-Zoology), Elliot Sober (UW-Philosophy)
- 7:00-10:00 pm Creation: The True Story of Charles Darwin. Film showing in Wisconsin Union Play Circle Theatre Followed by Discussion with Lynn Nyhart and Ronald Numbers (History of Science) and Alan Love (UMinn)
Friday, February 11, 2011
- 6:30 pm Reception
- 7:00 pm Keynote Lecture: Jill Pruetz, Iowa State University "Ecology and behavior of Savanna Chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal"
Saturday, February 12, 2011
- 9 am-2 pm Tree of Life activities
- 10:30 am John Hawks, UW-Madison Anthropology "Neanderthal genomes: Meet Your Inner Caveman"
- 12:30 pm Karen Rosenberg, University of Delaware "The Evolution of the Human Birth Process"
- 1:30 pm Wrap-up Panel Discussion with speakers