Darwin Day at the University of Tennessee

Darwin Day week kicks off tomorrow at the University of Tennessee, with a science parade.  The Daily Beacon has more:

Throughout the week, Darwin Day festivities will continue on Pedestrian Walkway, where students can learn about upcoming events and meet Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in mascot form. Darwin Day organizers will also be advertising for the event’s Keynote Speaker Stacey Smith from the University of Colorado Boulder.

On Monday, Feb. 13, at noon, Darwin Day organizers will participate in a science parade that marches from the Hill to inform students about Darwin, Wallace and their work involving evolutionary biology.

Later that day at 7 p.m. in the Cox Auditorium, Smith will present her lecture “Beg, borrow and steal: the nefarious history of flower power” to discuss the adaptive evolution of plants over time.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, a teacher’s workshop will be held in room 105 of the Claxton Education Complex from 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

All of the events are volunteer-run and designed to educate the public on evolutionary biology and its importance in modern society and politics. The idea is to promote scientific thought in a non-confrontational way in order to combat anti-science movements.

“(The events are being put on) to recognize this very important historical figure who has done so much to the understanding of biology, and of course, it drives so much of natural selection, and likewise, drives what has happened and what is happening in the world today,” Chapman said.

Come if you can. This is an annual program to honor one of the founders of evolutionary theory and is always quite a bit of fun.

Darwin Day at UT

Darwin Day(s) are occurring at UT this week.  Here is the post from the NCSE:

Dear Knoxville-area friends of NCSE,

I thought that you might like to know about the Darwin Day events
taking place on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

On February 10 at 7:00 p.m., Colin D. Sumrall will be speaking on "On
the Origin of Birds: Did the Age of Dinosaurs Really End?" in the
University Center auditorium.

On February 11 at 11:30 a.m., Joseph Panzik will be speaking on
"Earth, an Evolving Planet" in Dabney 575.

On February 11 at 7:00 p.m., A. C. Sandy Echternacht will be speaking
on "Messing with Mother Nature: Introduced Species" in the University
Center auditorium.

And on February 12 at 7:00 p.m., Alan de Queiroz will be giving the
keynote address, "A World Shaped by Astonishing Events: Darwin,
Creationism, and the Geography of Life" in the University Center
auditorium.

I will at least be able to attend the Sumrall presentation. Not sure about the others. I have to give an exam on the 12th but may postpone it until next week.  The website is here.