The School of Arts and Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will host the institution’s first ever “Darwin Day for Scientific Literacy” lecture at 6 p.m. on Feb. 12 in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium.  The public is invited to attend at no charge. 

Co-sponsored by the students of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Affiliates, the event promotes science literacy and will explore the relationship between science and religion.

The public lecture by Dr. Amanda Glaze-Crampes, an assistant professor of science education at Georgia Southern University, will address the presumed conflict between science and religion in a presentation titled “Can Science and Faith Truly Co-Exist?” Glaze-Crampes’ research focuses specifically on issues of scientific literacy.

The agenda for the day also includes an ABAC faculty-only training workshop facilitated by ABAC’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) where Glaze-Crampes will explore teaching strategies aimed at helping faculty and students negotiate faith-based resistance to science in the classroom.  That presentation is titled “Navigating Academic Border-Crossings: Teaching Science in a Culture of Faith.”

Dr. Jay Baldwin, assistant professor of communication at ABAC, said “Darwin Day” sessions are annual events on many college and university campuses around the world.

“They are commonly held each year in mid-February to commemorate the birthday of Charles Darwin, born Feb. 12, 1809, and to acknowledge his contributions to science, most notably his theory of the Origin of Species by Natural Selection, first published in 1859,” Baldwin said.

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society. The Society’s mission is to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.

STEM Affiliates promote learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  STEM seeks to provide opportunities for students to gain experience in these fields.  The School of Arts and Sciences provides all ABAC students an educational foundation that prepares them for professional and civic life.