WRITER: Phil Williams, 706/542-8501, philwpio@arches.uga.edu
CONTACT: Daniel Promislow, 706/542-1715, promislo@arches.uga.edu
LECTURE ON EVOLUTION OF ANIMAL SOCIETIES TO KICK OFF SPRING SEMESTER EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY SYMPOSIUM
ATHENS, Ga. – Several noted scientists from around the country will speak on the University of Georgia campus during January and February as part of the Second Annual Evolutionary Biology Spring Semester Symposium.
The presentations, which begin Jan. 14, are funded by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Honors Program, the Institute of Ecology and the departments of genetics, botany, anthropology and entomology at UGA.
"The main theme of this year’s symposium is the evolution of sex and mating systems," said Daniel Promislow, an assistant professor of genetics at UGA and an organizer of the event.
Speakers are:
*Kern Reeve, University of Cornell University. "Toward a Unified Theory of Social Evolution: Reproductive Skew in Social Wasps." Reeve’s research focuses on understanding the principals governing the evolution of animal societies. He will speak at 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14, in room 404A of the Biosciences Building.
*Michael Ghiselin, California Academy of Sciences. "The Mythology and Phylogeny of Sex." Ghiselin’s recent research has focused on the relationships of the major groups of animals. He is particularly interested in going beyond the branching sequences in phylogenetic trees and explaining the history of life, not just describing it. His lecture will be on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 12:20 p.m. in room C127 of the Life Sciences Building.
*Daniel Schoen, McGill University. "Mutations, Markers and Plant Genetic Conservation." Schoen is one of the leading scholars in the field of plant reproductive biology and has made major contributions to the understanding of plant mating systems. He will speak on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 12:20 p.m. in room C127 of Life Sciences.
*Jack Werren, University of Rochester. "Evolution of Wolbachia: A Widespread Group of Bacteria That Affect Reproduction in Invertebrates." Werren does research into the evolution and ecology of heritable microorganisms and the evolution of parasitic DNA, as well as other areas. He will lecture on Feb. 5 at 12:20 p.m. in the Ecology Auditorium.
*Margo Wilson and Martin Daly, McMaster University. "Sex Differences in Fatal Confrontations." Wilson’s research is on interpersonal conflict and violence, using epidemiological analyses of risk and nonlethal violence in relationships. Daly is interested in the relevance of evolutionary and ecological theories to psychology. The lecture for this husband-wife team will be on Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. in the University of Georgia Chapel.
For more information about the symposium, call Daniel Promislow at 542-1715.
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