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Contact: John Pollock
DuquesneUniversity
(412) 855-4043
Celebrating the Man, His Life, His Work
Duquesne leads events for “Darwin 2009: A Pittsburgh Partnership”
Pittsburgh, PA – February 05, 2009
Led by DuquesneUniversity professors, “Darwin 2009: A Pittsburgh Partnership” is a collaborative celebration of Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his work, On the Origin of Species. Since 2003, Dave Lampe, associate professor of biological sciences, has brought Duquesne’s annual “Darwin Day” lecture to the public. This year, he and fellow associate professor of biological sciences John Pollock and Pollock’s SEPA project, the Regenerative Medicine Partnership in Education, have organized with many Pittsburgh museums to create an expanded city-wide celebration. Events are set to happen throughout the year in the form of lectures, public events, and educational opportunities for teachers, students, and homeschoolers.
Many cities worldwide are hosting events to honor Charles Darwin, whose work on evolution has formed the basis of biology and biotechnology, and has altered the very fundamentals of human thought. Pittsburgh is one of the only citiesto host lectures and activities throughout the year, and to involve such a wide variety of different cultural institutions.
“We are not aware of any previous science event that so many Pittsburgh institutions have collaborated on for a common purpose. This underscores the real central importance evolution holds for all of these various disciplines,” said professor Lampe.
Darwin 2009 involves the collaboration of DuquesneUniversity and the SEPA-funded Partnership in Education with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the CarnegieScienceCenter, the EntertainmentTechnologyCenter at CarnegieMellonUniversity, the National Aviary, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquariums, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
A comprehensive list of all events, with detailed descriptions, scheduling and contact information, and downloadable lesson plans can be found at the official Darwin 2009 website:
Lecture Series at DuquesneUniversity and the CarnegieMuseum of Natural History
Two different series of free lectures are available to the public for the Darwin 2009 celebration. DuquesneUniversityprofessor Dave Lampe has organizedthe “Evening Lecture Series,” a series of six talks that take place on Duquesne’s campus. This year, the lectures will not only explore evolution in the sciences, but also its broad impact on many areas of human thought, including sociology, gender studies and religion. All lectures offer Act 48 credit.
Organized dually by professor Lampe and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, a series of science talks titled “Evidence for Evolution” explores the latest in evolutionary evidence from a diverse mix of scholars, researchers, and professionals. Talks are being held Fridays on Duquesne’s campus and Saturdays at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
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In collaboration with the Drue Heinz Lectures, acclaimed Darwin-biographer Janet Browne willgive a lecture aboutDarwin’s life and times at the CarnegieMusic Hallon February 9th. Tickets are required for this event.
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Public Events and Educational Opportunities
Both the public events and education portion of Darwin 2009 are designed to open the doors to inquiry in the spirit of Darwin, and to show that the principles evolution readily observable and active forces in life all around us. “Darwin discovered something common and obvious that was hidden in plain sight. Like Newton's discovery of gravity, evolution is right in front of us. But evolution is harder to see than gravity. So part of Darwin's great work rests on his acute ability to observe the world. We want to show everyone that they too, can observe the world,” said Pollock.
The scope of available opportunities makes the Pittsburgh Darwin celebration the only one of this breadth worldwide.Teachers, students and homeschoolers, and public audiences can take in a variety of exhibits and displays, public art, performances, tours, and interactive, hands-on activities that explore the museums’ plant, animal, and fossil collections.
“We’re excited to explore Darwin through the lens of each museum. Each institution has a very unique set of assets and approaches, and I think we’ve created a very comprehensive and very diverse set of activities, from lesson plans to public art,” states Joana Ricou, art director at the Partnership in Education.
Teachers are able to download free lesson plans that incorporate activities and models for learning both in and outside of the classroom by visiting the official Darwin 2009 website (
Contact: John Pollock
DuquesneUniversity
(412) 855-4043
This initiative is made possible with the generous support of Duquesne University Deans David Seybert, Albert Labriola, Jeff Miller and Olga Welch; Duquesne University Provost Ralph Pearson; the Department of Biological Sciences; and a Science Education Partnership Award to J. Pollock from the NationalCenter for Research Resources (NIH).
This project is funded by Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) award from the NationalCenter for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health.
ENDS