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Darwin @ 200
February 12, 2009, marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and the 150th year since publication of his seminal work, On the Origin of Species. The renowned 19th century naturalist made observations on plant and animal life that set science on a new course, introducing evolution as the unifying concept in all of genetics and biology. Students of U.S. history will note that the date is also the 200th birthday of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) will observe Darwin's life and accomplishments at events at the NIH's Bethesda campus and at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.
NIH Symposium
Darwin at 200: Evolution, Genomics, Medicine is a symposium celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2008. Speakers will include NHGRI Acting Director Alan Guttmacher, M.D., and Scientific Director Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D., among other celebrated researchers from across the country. The symposium will be held at Masur Auditorium, NIH Campus, Bethesda, Md. (See: DIR Calendar)
Public and High School Program
The Darwin @ 200 Anniversary Celebration is a program offered by NHGRI and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. High school students from the Washington metropolitan region will gather for a program featuring a distinguished panel of speakers on a variety of topics, from historical perspectives of Darwin, to evolution and medicine.
Among the featured speakers are paleoanthropologist Donald C. Johanson, who discovered fossils of early hominid species, including the skeleton of a 3.5 million-year-old female hominid, known as Lucy.
Speakers from NHGRI will include Acting Director Alan Guttmacher, M.D. and Former Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D. The program will be 12 - 3 p.m. at the Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History, located at the intersection of 10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. Seating is limited, but the event is open to the public. If you are interested in attending, please call 301-594-1364.
Galapagos Photography Exhibit
NIH Clinical Center is featuring photographs of the Galapagos Islands in an exhibit running now through February 26, 2008. Photos of the island where Darwin conducted essential fieldwork, with its unique and diverse flora and fauna, were submitted by NIH employees and patients, as well as photographers from the community. NHGRI Scientific Director Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D. is among the NIH photographers whose work is on display in the East Gallery and East Alcove Gallery on the first floor of the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, NIH Campus, Bethesda, Md.
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Posted: January 12, 2009
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