Harvard Professor Helps VCU Celebrate Darwin Day

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Graduate Organization of Biology Students celebrated the annual Darwin Day this year with help from author and educator Scott Edwards, Ph.D. 

Edwards of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University discussed "From Reptiles to Dinosaurs to Birds: A View from the Genome" at the event celebrating the life of Charles Darwin, known to many as the father of evolutionary biology.

Edwards moved to Harvard University in late 2003 as a professor of organismic and evolutionary biology and a curator of ornithology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, where he continues efforts to unite genomics and natural history and involve students at all levels. His current major interests include multilocus phylogeography and speciation in birds; genome evolution during the transition from reptiles to birds; host-pathogen interactions (such as the house finch-Mycoplasma epizootic) and the evolutionary consequences of disease outbreaks; and statistical models for inferring multilocus phylogenies and historical demography. 

The Graduate Organization of Biology Students provides graduate students with a forum to address needs and concerns in biology, and aims to integrate disciplines of biology through educational and recreational events, such as the annual Darwin Day celebration. Other organizers of this year's event included the Graduate Student Association, the Department of Biology in the College of Humanities and Sciences and VCU Life Sciences.

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