Charles Robert Darwin, author of the groundbreaking scientific classic On the Origin of Species, was born on Feb. 12, 1809, in the small market town of Shrewsbury, England.
SMU is celebrating the anniversary year of his birth with events, panel discussions and lectures, including the following on his birthday:
From 4 to 5 p.m., a birthday cake reception to celebrate Darwin's 200th birthday will be held in the Reading Room of Dallas Hall. SMU faculty and graduate students will give testimonies on how Darwin's legacy has affected their particular field or their particular research. Refreshments provided.
At 5 p.m., Dr. Fred Grinnell, professor of cell biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will give a seminar on "Everyday Practice of Science: Where Intuition and Passion Meet Objectivity and Logic" in McCord Auditorium. It will be followed by a signing of his new book with the same title.
At 5:30 p.m., the Department of Cinema and Television in Meadows School of Arts will show the original 1960 version of "Inherit the Wind" in Room 3531 of Greer Garson Theater. The movie is based on a real-life case in 1925 in which two great lawyers - William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow - argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.
Read more about Charles Darwin and SMU's observances of his legacy.