February 11, 2003
Contact: Dr. Linda Raubeson (509-963-2734/fax 509-963-2730/e-mail: raubeson@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - In remembrance of Charles Darwin’s
birthday, Feb. 12, 1809, Central Washington University’s biological
sciences department will host an evening of short talks by faculty
members, each presenting an example of evolution, intended for the
general public.
The free, public program is slated Thursday, Feb. 13, from 7
to 9 p.m. in the Samuelson Union Building (SUB) Theatre. The evening
will conclude with discussion and refreshments.
“The goal of this program is education,” Dr. Linda Raubeson,
CWU biological sciences professor and local Darwin Day organizer, says.
“Most people understand microevolution — change within species — and
realize that it is often observed in nature. However, many people
don’t realize that similar evidence supports macroevolution — origin of
new species.”
Examples of evidence for macroevolution will be presented in
the CWU talks, Raubeson adds.
The second annual university “Darwin Day” event is also being
held in conjunction with the international “Darwin Day” commemoration.
While the exact origin of “Darwin Day” is unknown, groups in
Australia, Europe and North America have celebrated the event for more
than a decade. According to officials with the national Darwin Day
program, the long-term goal is to establish a global celebration in
2009, the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of
the publication of his “The Origin of Species.”
For more information about the CWU Darwin Day event, or for
persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call
(509) 963-2734, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.
