Francisco Ayala

Renowned evolutionary biologist to speak at opening event.

The Libraries' fall exhibit, "So Simple a Beginning: 150 Years of Darwin" recognizes the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's seminal work of scientific literature, On the Origin of Species, as well as the 200th year of his birth. The opening event will be held on October 22, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. in Langson Library.

The exhibit traces the development and influence of Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection, starting with the Beagle expedition in 1831 and ending with the publication of On the Origin of the Species in 1859. It also describes the scientific and religious debate over Darwin's findings, and its influence on art, literature, and business. The scope of the exhibit reaches today as his theories are even present in our current vernacular with well known phrases, such as "Darwinian," "survival of the fittest," and "what separates us from the animals." John Sisson, UCI Research Librarian for Biological Sciences, is the curator.

The opening night event will feature a talk titled "Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion," by Francisco Ayala.

The opening night event will feature a talk titled "Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion," by Francisco Ayala, University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences at UCI.

A National Medal of Science recipient who belongs to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Ayala is one of the world's leading evolutionary biologists and geneticists. He is also an ordained Dominican priest, putting him in the unique position of being able to speak authoritatively on both evolution and religion. Seeing no conflict between Darwinism and faith, Ayala has attempted to address religious skepticism about Darwin's theory for over 30 years. Over the course of his esteemed career, Ayala has published more than 980 articles, written or edited 34 books, and won several prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Science in 2001 and the UCI Medal in 1995.

A reception and exhibit viewing will follow Ayala's talk. The event is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display through April 2010 in the Langson Library Reynolds Gallery during regular library hours. For more information or to make a reservation, please call the Library Development Office at 949.824.4651 or email partners@uci.edu.

A full listing of upcoming library exhibits, programs, and book club meetings may be found on the Library Giving Web site at previous.lib.uci.edu/partners/news-and-events.html.