Tech To Host Darwin Conference

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species, as well as the 200th anniversary of his birth.

Dr. Ron Lewis, a professor at Virginia Tech, knew something had to be done celebrate the landmark anniversary and the continuing relevancy of Darwin’s work in the scientific community.

Lewis felt the latter had been ignored recently due to Internet search engines and databases that dealt only with contemporary components of Darwin’s work, completely bypassing the original text.

“At no fault of their own, people were becoming very disconnected from Darwin and the Origin. I think it’s a sad reflection of the fact that we focus on contemporary literature,” said Lewis.

Wishing to bring the historical background, social issues, and scientific topics of the Origin into new light, Lewis decided to host a conference with during which noted Darwinian scholars would present papers discussing the topics.

Celebration of Darwin: A Conference on Darwin’s Origin on Nov. 4 will feature several speakers who will give presentations on either the historical background, current scientific topics surrounding the Origin, or conceptual and social issues raised by the text in modern times.

The conference will be divided into two sessions.

The morning session will consist of three presentations by three separate guest keynote speakers.

“We’re really fortunate to have them because events like this are happening all around the country, so there’s a lot of competition in getting the most famous scholars,” said professor Eileen Crist of Virginia Tech

Professor Robert J Richards of the University of Chicago, Professor Frank J. Sulloway of the University of California, Berkeley, and Professor Philip Kitcher of Columbia University will serve as the keynote speakers for the morning sessions.

They will each touch on an aspect of the historical, social, or scientific perspectives of the Origin.

“These were people that seemed to fit this idea of wishing to cover the entirety of the Origin- all the different aspects,” said Lewis.

During the afternoon session twelve plenary speakers will be given one-half hour to present an abstract paper.

The speakers are divided into two concurrent sessions.

The final event of the night will be a performance of Living Darwin as performed by TWISTS. This will be the group’s final performance of the play.

Crist, of Virginia Tech, wants those attending the event absorb the information and are able to apply it to the every day.

“We’re hoping they’ll understand some of the complexities of the debates that are going on in the present, get a sense of the changes that have happened in evolutionary theory from Darwin’s day to the present, yet also get a sense of how relevant Darwin is even today,” said Crist.

Lewis’ overall goal for the attendees of the conference is a new understanding of Darwin’s work on contemporary science, and that the relevance of Darwin and his work remains in the minds of those in the scientific community.

The conference will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center in Blacksburg.

There are a limited number of spaces available for late registration. Registration for Virginia Tech students is $50, the general public $100.

Find more information at http://www.cpe.vt.edu/darwin