51³Ô¹Ï’s annual festival in celebration of Charles Darwin’s birthday will be held virtually February 8 through 12, 2021 with a week of lectures. In its 42nd year, The Darwin Festival is a community-oriented event for scientists and non-scientists alike. This year’s festival will feature two webinars a day, one at 11 am and one at 2 pm. Topics include: the evolution of skin color; the biology of cities; the biochemical signatures of disease; the origins of wound repair; the mating habits of cannibalistic spiders; the diversity and adaptation of coral reefs; the impact of human behavior on evolution, and more. All talks will be followed by a moderated Q and A are free and open to the public. Registration required. Visit for salemstate.edu/darwinfestival for more information.
“Due to the pandemic this year’s festival is entirely virtual, allowing us to welcome speakers and audiences from across the country,†remarks festival coordinator Ryan Fisher, a professor of biology at Salem State. “In true Darwin spirit, the festival is adapting and evolving to meet the time. We are excited for the possibilities.â€
The Darwin Festival was founded in 1980 by Virginia F. Keville and Philip A. DePalma as part of the course “Human and Social Biology,†a biology course for non-science majors. The event was a way to celebrate the impact of Charles Darwin’s work while providing students with an opportunity to connect humanity and culture with scientific research. The festival has since evolved into a community-wide event that draws students, scholars, and curious minds from around the region.
The 2021 Darwin Festival is organized by 51³Ô¹Ï’s department of biology with support from the Charles Albert Read Trust Fund, the Student Government Association through the Biological Society and the Scuba Club, the Keville-DePalma Darwin Festival Endowment Fund, 51³Ô¹Ï administration, contributions from Academx, and other individual supporters.
Topics and speaker bios can be found at salemstate.edu/darwinfestival.