Darwin Day Activities in Kansas

By Jack Krebs

Darwin’s Day Activities, February 12 at the University of Kansas Theme: We have come a long way since Darwin. See here for much prettier information at the KU website!

If you’re in the area, please join us! KCFS will buy a ticket for anyone who says you read about it here on the Panda’s Thumb!

6:00 pm Museum Activities: Special exhibits and tours of the museum and the Exploring Evolution exhibit will be given

7:30 pm Costume contest: Sponsored by Kansas Citizens for Science

Anyone dressed as Darwin (any age), Muffy Moose, or a Dodo will get in free to the movie “Flock of Dodos” (see Flock of Dodos, The Dodos Gazette and the Muffy Moose weblog), and will get to lead the crowd from the Museum to Woodruff Auditorium for the show.

$100.00 cash prize for winner of each category. $50.00 cash prize for second

7:45 pm “Flock of Dodos” showing.

The cost of the movie and event is $2.00. Tickets will be available through the Gift Shop in the museum

Also, earlier in the day:

12:00 pm Center for Science Education Brown Bag Seminar

“Forms Most Beautiful: Ideas of Evolution at the Molecular Level,” presented by Dr. Richard Schowen. An understandable description of concepts developed between 1970 and the present of how proteins evolve to higher levels of functionality, and in particular, how enzymes have become better catalysts. The intention is to make the story accessible to any curious adult. Pine Room of the Kansas Union

Sponsoring Groups: Center for Science Education KU Natural History Museum Biodiversity Institute Spencer Museum of Art Kansas Citizens for Science KU Students for Science Department of Chemistry Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department of Geology Department of Molecular Biosciences Division of Biological Sciences Biological Survey Department of Physics and Astronomy Department of Anthropology Department of Psychology

Museum behind the scenes: Docents will lead a few small groups.

  1. Herpetology – John Simmons and Linda Trueb
  2. Ichthyology – Ed Wiley and Andy Bentley
  3. Ornithology – Mark Robbins

Research displays and presentations: set up at tables around the museum by department researchers illustrating how far we have come since Darwin.

  1. Stephen Ilardi - evolutionary psychology
  2. John Counts and Steve Hasiotis - Trace Fossils
  3. Edith Taylor - Fossil Plants
  4. Larry Martin and David Burnham - Vertebrate paleontology
  5. Zach Falin - Entomology
  6. Daphne Fautin - Anemone and coral evolution
  7. Jennifer Weghorst - Primate social evolution
  8. Deborah Smith - honey bee evolution
  9. Rafe Brown - Evolution of frog courtship
  10. Ray Pierotti - Natural hybridization in mammals and birds

Darwin’s Day Activities, February 16 and 17 at Science City Union Station 30 W Pershing Rd, Kansas City, Mo 64108

February 16: Costume contest at 7:00 pm - all in costume get in free. Show at 7:45.

February 17: VIP reception and informal KU research talks at 6: 30, Policy Competitiveness talks at 7:30, show at 8:00

All tickets $5.95. More details later.