Darwin Day 2013 in the DC Region

By Gary Berg-Cross

Darwin Day 2013 is rapidly approaching, February 12 – A Tuesday this year. In 2012 there were a few DC region events and I am happy to say that quite a few more Darwinish day events have evolved and emerged and will be available at a variety of locations.

Perhaps we have yet to arrange a BIG, day-long celebration for Darwin Day, but there is progress with things kicking off early.  So Mon, February 4, 2013  2:15 PM Dr. David Oliver  will speak in Lynchburg, VA (Alumni Building Lounge, Alumni Building Lounge) on “ The Free Spirit in the Machine: Constraint and Freedom in the Biology of Human Action," This is about the hierarchical and evolutionary character of the natural world generally.

They are following that up with:

02/08/2013 6:30 PM

"Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial," Documentary, Introduction, Don Manning

First Unitarian Church of Lynchburg Lynchburg, Virginia

BSH (WASH) and BaltimoreCOR is very active and has a “Darwin Month” that kicks off  the first of 4 events at the Baltimore Ethical Society  Feb. 3 at 10:30 am with: “Common Misconceptions About Evolution,” by Roger D. Sloboda,  Ira Allen Eastman Professor of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College
The 3 later events are:

Sunday, Feb. 10 at 10:30 am:  “People, Animals and Beasts:  Ethical Evolution,”
by Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society
Location:  Baltimore Ethical Society

Monday, February 11, 7:00 pm (pizza starting 6:30 pm) Film “No Dinosaurs in Heaven.”
Location: Towson University, Psychology Building (PY 304)
This event is hosted by the Towson Secular Student Alliance and co-sponsored by
the Maryland Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Harford County Area Special Interest Group Movie Night
Time:  Thursday, February 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Member’s house.  Email for information to info@bsh.wash.org

UUCF Celebrates Darwin, Part 1, The More Things Change: Ongoing Conflict Over Creationism, Evolution and Public Education, Oakton, Virginia

Some events are on the weekend before the Tuesday.  So the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax  is celebrating a Darwin Day Evolution of Evolution at UUCF

Sunday, February 10, 2013 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM (2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, VA)
Dr. Jerry Poje will speak on “Evolution’s evolution: Darwinians, Eugenicists and new Neo-Lamarkians”

WASH’s Frederick chapter (FRESH) is celebrating the 12th Darwin Day with a movie night, (5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. -Movie to start at 5:45 p.m. at the Frederick City Public Library) and will include a birthday cake for Charles Darwin! Please note the day and time of our meeting is different for this month to coincide with Darwin Day. RSVPs requested to make sure we have enough supplies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

George Washington University will host what promises to be a festive afternoon and evening of events at the Marvin Center. (When a flyer is available with final list of events I will link to it here..)

 

 The first , sponsored by the GW Secular Society, WASH and others (see Flyer at beginning of this article) is a 1-hour lecture by Briana Pobiner, the Science Outreach and Education Program Specialist at the Smithsonian NMNH, from 4:00 to 5:00 + ( February 12^th   in GWU's  Marvin Center, Room 311).  Briana's topic is "The Smithsonian's Approach to Human Evolution Education and Outreach. "  This includes work at NMNH, framed within the context of the public acceptance of evolution.

The GW Secular Society is also working on other parts of the evening and directly following this event, GW Secular Society will be tabling in the Marvin Center Lobby, directly across from the elevators, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This will be a Darwin/Evolution Fast Facts event. Handouts will include an evolution pamphlet created by Serena Bianchi  and Kes  Schroer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Images (WASH sites and)

Darwin Day Down Under: http://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Atheists/events/57712852/

Briana Pobiner: http://www.eaapp.or.ke/profile.htm