Monday 22 March
doors open 18:30
John Innes Centre, Conference Centre

The Beagle Project comes to Norwich

2009 was one of the most significant anniversaries in science: it marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin (12 February 1809), and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species. The Beagle Project felt that the anniversary for this great and gentle man deserved a significant celebration and a lasting legacy. Their contribution is to build a sailing modernized seagoing HMS Beagle, the ship on which Darwin circumnavigated the globe between 1831 and 1836. It was during the shore expeditions he made from the Beagle that he collected the specimens which would later inspire the theory of Natural Selection and the Origin of Species.

Dr Karen James is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Botany at the Natural History Museum in London and coordinated the museum's Darwin bicentenary science campaign including a survey of the museum's Darwin specimens and a Galapagos mockingbird conservation genetics project. In addition, she is involved in the UK Biodiversity Programme, the Climate Change research group, and works on whole-genome molecular techniques for systematic and evolutionary studies in non-model organisms. She is the director of science for The HMS Beagle Trust.

As well as Karen's talk there will be a replica of the Beagle on display
amongst other interactive exhibits

Attendance is FREE but places must be reserved
Contact: Dawn Barrett, Tel: 01603 255 328
dawn.barrett@bbsrc.ac.uk by Wednesday 17th March

Programme: