The 2009 UCMP short course on Darwin

More than 300 people sat mesmerized by the words of Keith Thomson, Professor Emeritus of natural history at the University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow of the American Philosophical Society, as he provided new insights into Charles Darwin, his youth and his career. Having written three highly popular books on the subject, Keith provided the perfect start to an extraordinary day of presentations and conversations about Charles Darwin: the man, his science, and his legacy. This was the focus of the 2009 annual UCMP Short Course held on February 7th, kicking off a wide variety of activities in the Bay Area in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. Filling out the program were, Kevin Padian, Professor of Integrative Biology and faculty curator at the Museum of Paleontology; Kip Will, Associate Professor and Insect Systematist in Environmental Science, Policy and Management and Associate Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology; and Genie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc.

This year the short course was followed by a very high-energy teacher workshop on evolution held on Sunday. Presenters included UCMP's Judy Scotchmoor; Louise Mead, National Center for Science Education; Helena Carmena and Sarah Foule, California Academy of Sciences; and Jessica Neely, KQED QUEST.

See the complete list of previous UCMP short courses.
 

Darwin drawing by Dave Smith, UCMP.