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In celebration of Charles Darwin's 211th birthday, guest lecturer William Kimler, an associate professor of history at NC State, will talk about Charles Darwin as an innovator and instigator of what we might call “holistic” sciences. The sciences of geology, biogeography, ecology, climatology, evolution, and astrophysics share a property of requiring extensive, comparative data, both across space and over time. They are also sciences that explain phenomena by the connections and interactions within complex, and often very large-scale, systems. For Darwin Day I will focus on the global, natural history fields that were emerging in the mid-1800s. The old term, natural history, was useful for reminding us that they require historical thinking for full explanation. That is the innovation that Darwin brought to ecology and evolution. Darwin was inspired by Alexander von Humboldt and other mappers and tropical travelers to think about extensive comparison and connections across multiple scales. Combined with the deep time of geology, his insight was how to fuse the historical and the dynamic causes at work. It provided a model for this type of scientific work and explanation, which could be extended to other fields. 

Biography

Originally educated as a biologist, William Kimler worked as a field ecologist in industry before earning his doctorate in evolutionary biology from Cornell University in 1983. His dissertation was on the history of debates amongst evolutionists over Darwinian explanations of animals' mimetic coloration. Kimler was a National Science Foundation NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Leeds, investigating the history of genetics and ecology in twentieth century Britain. Today, he is an associate professor of history at NC State University, where he is director of the Jefferson Scholars program and the recipient of the 2001 Outstanding Teacher of the Year award and 2006 Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor award. He is a member of the NC State Academy of Outstanding Teachers.

Dr. Anita Sil, University of California San Francisco
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Hosted by Emily Rosowski

Our department hosts a free and open seminar series during the Fall and Spring semesters. Unless noted otherwise, seminars take place 3:40 – 4:40 pm in Jordan Hall Room G-33 (basement level). For location details, view the Map and Parking Services information.

Katherine Amato, Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology
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Hosted by Barbara Campbell

Our department hosts a free and open seminar series during the Fall and Spring semesters. Unless noted otherwise, seminars take place 3:40 – 4:40 pm in Jordan Hall Room G-33 (basement level). For location details, view the Map and Parking Services information.

Dr. Sofia Lizarraga, University of South Carolina - Biological Sciences
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Hosted by David Feliciano

Our department hosts a free and open seminar series during the Fall and Spring semesters. Unless noted otherwise, seminars take place 3:40 – 4:40 pm in Jordan Hall Room G-33 (basement level). For location details, view the Map and Parking Services information.

Daniel Vogt, Michigan State University
The notorious MTOR and cortical GABAergic neuron development: novel insights
Hosted by David Feliciano

Our department hosts a free and open seminar series during the Fall and Spring semesters. Unless noted otherwise, seminars take place 3:40 – 4:40 pm in Jordan Hall Room G-33 (basement level). For location details, view the Map and Parking Services information.