McClung museum hosts ‘Darwin Day’ celebration
The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture began hosting “Darwin Day” by celebrating Charles Darwin’s birthday as a way to begin the week-long event celebrating Darwin on Monday, Feb. 9.
The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture began hosting “Darwin Day” by celebrating Charles Darwin’s birthday as a way to begin the week-long event celebrating Darwin on Monday, Feb. 9.
The week-long celebration will consist of several Darwin-themed events as a way to celebrate his revolutionary theory of evolution and natural selection, also known as the centerpiece for modern biology and to teach people about evolution.
The event was organized by co-presidents Sarah Sheffield, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Joy Buongiorno, a Ph.D. candidate for Microbiology.
Sheffield said that Darwin Day is important because it is an opportunity to promote relationships between the university and the community and because people could possibly get some questions answered about evolution.
“They can learn something new,” she said. “It’s mainly so people can appreciate and enjoy science.”
Some events throughout the week include a biogeography cake contest, an evolution panel, and several guest speakers, including a lecture and book signing from the keynote lecturer, Dr. Alan de Queiroz.
For more details about “Darwin Day” and a schedule of events, go to http://www.darwindaytn.org.
Edited by Maggie Jones and Hannah Hunnicutt
