Diggin' Darwin Day

It promises to attract a large crowd.

The UC Davis Center for Population Biology is planning a Darwin Day on Monday, Feb. 23.

If it sounds like a belated birthday party, it is and it isn't.

Darwin Day, billed as "a global celebration of science and reason," is held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin, according to a specially set up Web site dedicated to him and his work.

The Davis celebration, free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m., in the Varsity Theatre, 616 Second St., Davis.

The one-hour event will include two public lectures, a birthday cake, and insect and fossil exhibits.

The event is sponsored by the Center for Population Biology and also involves the Department of Entomology, the Department of Geology, the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology.

“This is a great synergy between the Center for Population Biology, the Department of Entomology, the Department of Geology, the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology,” said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology.

Presenting the public lectures will be evolutionary ecologist Maureen Stanton, chair and professor, Department of Evolution and Ecology, and evolutionary biologist Jonathan Eisen, who maintains a lab in the the UC Davis Genome Center and holds appointments in the Departments of Medical Microbiology and Evolution and Ecology. He also writes a blog, The Tree of Life.

Stanton will discuss “The Evolution-Intelligent Design Controversy: What Lessons Does It Offer about the Nature of Legitimate Science?” Of her topic, she says: “There is a great deal of public misunderstanding about science, and yet scientific literacy is more critical now than ever before. In this talk, I'll discuss how evidence is used in fundamentally different ways by doctrinarians and scientists, using evidence for evolution to demonstrate that difference. Science is important, but its sphere is limited only to natural phenomena, leaving abundant room for the reconciliation of science with faith.”

Eisen’s topic is “Evolutionary Biology is a Valuable and Practical Tool.” He elaborates:  "Evolution is frequently interpreted as a science of the past. However, an evolutionary perspective is a powerful and irreplaceable tool in studying and understanding the world around us. I will give examples of how information on evolution plays critical roles in subjects ranging from drug and vaccine development, forensics, conservation biology, and human medicine.”

Graduate students in the Center for Population Biology graduate students organized the free lectures.

UC Davis entomology graduate students Andrea Lucky, Sara Diamond and James Harwood will show live insects from the Bohart Museum of Entomology. The museum houses seven million insect specimens, but also includes live ones, such as Madagascar hissing cockroaches and walking sticks.

The Darwin Day event is one of more than 700 celebrations occurring globally--on or around Feb. 12.