SMU professor receives Friend of Darwin Award

Ronald Wetherington, professor of anthropology in SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and director of the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence, has been selected to receive a "Friend of Darwin" award from the National Center for Science Education.

SMU Professor Ron Wetherington
Prof. Ronald Wetherington
Ronald Wetherington, professor of anthropology in SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and director of the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence, has been selected to receive a "Friend of Darwin" award from the National Center for Science Education. 

Wetherington was singled out because of his advocacy on behalf of science by the NCSE, which supports the teaching of evolution in public schools.

NCSE Executive Director Eugenie C. Scott cited Wetherington for his public and private role in the science vs. religion debate that has roiled the State Board of Education.

“(Wetherington's) support of evolution education through (his) teaching and activism to support good science education standards is greatly appreciated by not only your fellow Texans, but by those of us in other parts of the country as well," Scott said. "Texas remains important outside of its borders and (his) work over the years advising on the standards has been crucial in the struggle to defend evolution education."

Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
An expert in evolutionary theory, Wetherington teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at SMU in physical anthropology, genetics, skeletal growth, evolutionary theory, Southwest U.S. prehistory and early history.

SMU has been celebrating the Year of Darwin, commemorating his birth and the publication of his The Origin of Species, through a series of lectures and related activities.

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