UUSD to celebrate Darwin Day Feb. 17

The Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware will hold its fourth Darwin Day celebration form 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17.

The  celebration emphasizes the important contribution that Charles Darwin has made to science, the important role that science plays in today’s society, and the key role that science and reason play in UUSD’s free and responsible search for truth and meaning (the fourth Unitarian Universalist principle).

Featured speakers will include William McAvoy, botanist with the State of Delaware, and Professor Robin Andreasen, from the University of Delaware. A discussion will follow the presentations.

McAvoy has served as state botanist for the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife for nearly 30 years. He is responsible for documenting the status and distribution of the flora of Delaware, with an emphasis on the conservation of rare plant species. McAvoy is the primary author of “The Flora of Delaware,” and he has published many papers on the flora of the Delmarva Peninsula. His presentation will be on Darwin’s fascination with the venus flytrap.

Andreasen is associate professor of  philosophy and linguistics and cognitive science at the University of Delaware  She specializes in philosophies of science and social science, and is a scholar of race and gender. She is a co-principal investigator on the university’s National Science Foundation Advance Institutional Transformation grant, which aims to increase faculty diversity and improve the climate for diversity at the University of Delaware. Andreasen will present on ancestry, race and disease risk.

The celebration will be held at 30486 Lewes-Georgetown Highway, Lewes. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact AdultEd@uussd.org or go to www.uussd.org.