Darwin 200

Celebrating Darwin and the theory that shook the world

First Irish event in Darwin 200

One of the most important scientific discoveries of all time was announced 150 years ago, on 1 July 1858, when Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace jointly announced their ideas about natural selection. A year later, at the age of 50, Charles Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. ... making next year the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin.

Celebrations are now beginning, the first Irish event takes place later this month, on Saturday June 21st, and plans are under way for further events in Ireland marking Darwin 200.

Celebrating Darwin 200 in Ireland

Dr Bob Bloomfield, Natural History Museum London and co-ordinator, Darwin200
Darwin Events in Ireland, Eoin Gill & Nigel Monaghan (iSCAN) followed by discussion.

Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin
Sat 21st June 2pm, Adm free.

Organised by iSCAN (Irish Science Centres Awareness Network) to highlight the coming anniversary and encourage activity for 2009. And a chance to see the new Science Gallery, if you have not already done so.

Dr Bloomfield will explain why it is important to celebrate Charles Darwin, give an overview of Darwin’s life and how he formulated his theory of evolution by natural selection, and describe the UK and international plans for Darwin200, which include: a new film on Darwin, an Open University course on Darwin and natural selection, a major TV series, visual arts, theatre and a European-wide Evolution Megalab involving tens of thousands of people, plus exhibitions, talks, family events and more.

Contact iSCAN if you are interested in contributing to the Irish Darwin 200 programme.

Dr Bob Bloomfield :
Head of Innovation and Special projects at The Natural History Museum, London and coordinator of Darwin 200. After a brief career in lecturing he joined The Natural History Museum to pursue his interest in informal learning and interpretative design. This has culminated over the past decade in projects including the Museum’s Earth Galleries and the Darwin Centre. This latter project led to a major innovation in how the Museum’s scientific staff engaged in discussions and dialogue about their work with the visiting public. In 1994 Bob was jointly responsible for The Natural History Museum being the first UK Museum to have an Internet presence and his innovation work continues to reflect his interest in the effective use of new media and network technologies for science communication. Bob is senior policy developer and strategic manager for initiatives in the field of Science and Society. A particular interest is the importance of evolution to the understanding of science today, and how this relates to wider perspectives within society. He is engaged in the plans for celebrating Darwin’s achievements during Darwin200.


iSCAN: this is a network for all those running science visitor centres, science awareness groups and individuals interested in science awareness on the island of Ireland. iSCAN’s aim is to promote the public understanding of science and technology, and the organisation plans to stimulate interest in and coordinate activities for Darwin 200
Contact: Eoin Gill, Chair iSCAN / egill[at]wit.ie / + 353 (0) 86 2630902


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Next edition: July 2008.
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