A number of events and seminars will be occurring in 2009 to celebrate Charles Darwin, commemorating both the 200th anniversary of his birth in 1809 and the 150th anniversary of the publication in 1859 of his revolutionary book: On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of the Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.


   During February, 2009 the Evolutionary Biology Program Area at SDSU is pleased to sponsor four lectures focused on Darwin's work. The university community is invited to attend these lectures which are part of the Monday Afternoon Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Seminar Series held Monday at 4:00 pm in the Gold Auditorium, BioScience Center. Each lecture will be preceded by a reception at 3:30 pm in the foyer of the Gold Auditorium.

February 2  Dr. Kevin Burns
Dept. of Biology, SDSU
"On the Origin of Darwin's Finches"

February 9  Dr. J. David Archibald
Dept. of Biology, SDSU 
"The Tree of Life: Perceptions of the History of Life Before and After Darwin" 

February 16  Dr. Kelly Hughes
Dept. of Biology, Univ. Utah
"Debunking the 'Posterchild' of Intelligent Design: The Bacterial Flagellum"

February 23 Dr. Robert Zeller
Dept. of  Biology, SDSU
"Devo-Evo : What embryological processes can teach us about the evolution of animals"


   In addition, San Diego State University will host several events and talks during the year. See 150 Years of Evolution: Darwin's Impact on Contemporary Thought and Culture.