Darwin turns 200 next year: Celebrate Darwin Day!

Background/Question/Methods

Darwin Day is an international celebration that occurs on (and around) Charles Darwin’s birthday, February 12. In 2009, we will celebrate the 200^th anniversary of Darwin’s birth, as well as the 150^th anniversary of the publication of “On the Origin of Species”. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, we have been celebrating Darwin Day as a means of education and outreach in evolutionary biology for 12 years.

Results/Conclusions

Each year our events focus on a different theme, such as “Evolution and Medicine” and “Intelligent Design: Is it Science?” We typically have an information booth in our university center, a series of films and accompanying discussions, a workshop for middle and high school science teachers, and one or more invited lecturers, who have included scientists, popular writers, and politicians. We have also had panel discussions on issues, essay contests for students, and a special broadcast on our public radio station. These events draw members of the university and the surrounding community, which is especially important in east Tennessee. The “Scopes Monkey Trial” of 1925 took place in this region, and today local school boards are supporting initiatives to teach intelligent design in public schools. Our goal is to increase understanding and appreciation of science generally and evolution as a unifying concept in biology. This poster will present the history and organization of Darwin Day at our university, and how our events can be adapted to classrooms of all levels, libraries, and other institutions.