3rd Annual Evolution Education Symposium

American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
1444 I (Eye) Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 628-1500
http://www.aibs.org/

For Immediate Release
5 September 2006

For more information, contact:
Susan Musante: smusante@aibs.org
Abe Parker: aparker@aibs.org

Macroevolution is the theme of the symposium to be held in October 2006 at the annual meeting of the National Association of Biology Teachers

Washington, DC. In collaboration with the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) and the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is pleased to announce the 3rd annual evolution science and education symposium, “Macroevolution: Evolution above the Species Level.” The one-day symposium will take place on October 14, 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the annual meeting of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT).

Macroevolution is the term applied to the evolutionary processes that describe the formation of new species. A common example of macroevolutionary research is the work conducted by paleontologists.

The AIBS/BSCS/NESCent evolution symposium was established three years ago to improve the quality of science education. The symposium provides classroom teachers with an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in evolution science from leading evolution scholars. Science teachers attending the symposium as part of the NABT annual meeting will receive tips, classroom resources, and practical training in ways to incorporate the research findings presented during the symposium into their classroom lessons.

The BSCS, a Colorado Springs-based non-profit organization that works to improve all students’ understanding of science and technology by developing exemplary curricular materials, supporting their widespread and effective use, providing professional development, and conducting research and evaluation studies. will provide teachers with hands-on exercises and resources.

Symposium speakers will include:

  • Philip Gingerich, Professor of Geological Sciences and Director of the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan, will speak on “Fossils and the Origin of Whales.” Dr. Gingerich’s research team was the first to find skeletons linking whales to artiodactyls land mammals.
  • Scott Hodges, Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, will talk about “The Generation of Plant Biodiversity: Linking Historical Patterns with Evolutionary Processes.”
  • David Jablonski, Professor and Chairman of the Committee on Evolutionary Biology and a professor in the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago, will elaborate on the “Evolutionary Role of Extinctions and Recoveries in the History of Life.”
  • Nicole King, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Development in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, will examine the topic of “From Protozoa to Metazoa: The Origin of Animal Multicellularity.”
  • Jeff Levinton, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, will speak about the “Cambrian Explosion and the Nature of Evidence.”
  • Nipam Patel, Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley, will present “The Evolution of Animal Bodyplans: Insights from Arthropod Development.”

For more information about this Evolution Symposium, go to http://www.aibs.org/events/special-symposia/2006_macroevolution.html. For more information about the 2006 NABT annual meeting and to register for the AIBS/BSCS/NESCent symposium, please go to http://www.nabt2006.org/.