Celebrating Darwin
“What Darwin understood like no one before him was that all organisms – including ourselves – are deeply connected, both through their interactions in the “struggle for existence” and over time through the grand forces of evolution. What is most amazing to me, is how he was able to sketch out the Big Story of Life on Earth simply from detailed, open-minded observation. We need to encourage this passion for nature, and skill of observation again in students today.”Dr. Boris Worm of Dalhousie University and lead scientist on the Future of Marine Animal Populations project for the global Census of Marine Life
This year offers two anniversaries to celebrate the naturalist: two hundred years since Darwin was born (12 February 1809) and one hundred and fifty years since the publication of his seminal book, On the Origin of Species (24 November 1859). To honor the occasion, USM graduate student Erik Pietrowicz, applied for and received a grant from the Society for the Study of Evolution to promote the work of Charles Darwin in the region.
As part of the celebration, we will feature a selection of activities and events, videos and educational resources throughout the year.
Featured Blog
- Celebrating Darwin - Leading scientists from around the region and the world will contribute essays to a weblog reflecting on Darwin’s contribution to science.
2009 Regional Events and Activities
- Essay Contest: Discovering our Modern Day “Darwins”
- As part of the 2009 Darwin Celebration, a student essay contest is underway called Discovering our Modern Day “Darwins” in the Census of Marine Life. The goal of the contest is to inspire high school students to pursue careers in science by exploring the fascinating work of the 2,000 men and women involved in the global Census of Marine Life . The contest is co-sponsored by Gulf of Maine Census, GOMMEA, and the University of Southern Maine. The deadline is December 11, 2009. Details (PDF - 114 KB)
- Join us in Celebrating the Ocean’s Diversity on November 19th
- Award-winning writer Darlene Crist and deep-sea diver Richard Morris will share the excitement of the global Census of Marine Life through stories, images and film. Event details (PDF - 188 KB)
- Spineless Wonders: Invertebrates as Inspiration
The Atrium Art Gallery, USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street Lewiston, ME- September 8 - December 18, 2009
Spineless Wonders: Invertebrates as Inspiration celebrates the diversity of species for the 2009 bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species. Paintings, prints, sculpture, poetry, video, sound, and work in clay, metal, fiber, glass, wood, and stone by over 50 artists from around the country will all be part of the multi-dimensional exhibition. A poetry chapbook will accompany the exhibit, featuring poets who express a passion and curiosity about the invertebrate world.
- September 8 - December 18, 2009
- The Best Fossils Darwin Never Saw
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA- Thursday, August 20, 6:00 & 7:00 PM
The fossil record brought up many questions for Charles Darwin: Why did animal fossils appear so suddenly in the Cambrian Explosion? Where were all the transitional animals? In this gallery talk with Harvard earth and planetary sciences graduate student Ben Kotrc, explore the museum’s diverse range of fossil specimens, from the giant Ice Age mammals, which Darwin saw, to ancient microfossils discovered in recent decades.
- Thursday, August 20, 6:00 & 7:00 PM
- Life in the Gulf of Maine: Past Present & Future - Sea State 4.0 (PDF - 2.3 MB)
Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 7-8 pm- Feb 12, Mar 12, Apr 9, May 14 and Jun 11, 2009
- Evolution Revolution - Across the Universe
University of Southern Maine Southworth Planetarium, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland
4-6 pm, refreshments and discussion to follow in Room 7.- MARCH 5 - BEGINNINGS: COSMIC EVOLUTION – Gerald LaSala, USM Physics Department – and MATTERS OF SCALE – Gary Glick, Falmouth High School
- MARCH 12 - THE EMERGENCE OF CELLS DURING THE ORIGIN OF LIFE – Irene Chen, MIT Center for Systems Biology
- MARCH 19 - DARWINIAN EVOLUTION: LEVELS OF SELECTION – Kenneth Weber, USM Biology Department
- MARCH 26 - EVO-DEVO: HOW ANIMAL DEVELOPMENT REVEALS THE HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH – David Champlin, USM Biology Department
- APRIL 2 - MICROBES AND VIRUSES: DRIVERS OF EVOLUTION – Monroe Duboise, USM Applied Medical Sciences Department - and EVOLUTION OF IMMUNITY – Ah-Kau Ng, USM Applied Medical Sciences Department
Educational Resources
- Evolution Project from PBS:
In addition to the critically-acclaimed public television series, this site offers an extraordinary collection of resources for teachers, students and anyone seeking to understand evolution and how it has shaped our world. PBS provides short videos, activities, lesson plans, links and more for the classroom, lecture hall and general audiences. - Society for the Study of Evolution:
Promotes the study of organic evolution and the integration of the various fields of science concerned with evolution. - Darwin200:
National program in England of events honouring Darwin’s scientific ideas and their impact. - Evolution of Evolution - Celebrating 150 Years of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”:
A new interactive website from the National Science Foundation.
Videos
“Beagle: On the future of species”
The 35-part series, by Dutch VPRO, will reconstruct Darwin’s 5-year long voyage on the HMS Beagle in the course of one year, departing September 1, 2009. Beagle will make an attempt to assess where the world stands today in light of Darwin’s evolution theory. The entire voyage, and any resulting scientific discoveries, can be viewed on the VPRO web site.
Darwin Birthday Card
Enjoy this Society for the Study of Evolution video of scientists and students around the world wishing Darwin a Happy Birthday: