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Home / Education / Home School
HMNS Scholars
Darwin and His Legacy
Tuesdays, February 10 - March 31 (no class March 17), 5:45 - 7:45 p.m.
Course Fee: $84 per student (For current high school students only.)
2009 marks the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. Explore Darwin and his contributions to science, and learn how his legacy has shaped current scientific understanding and has lead to breakthroughs in modern science and medicine.
Explore Darwin and his contributions to science, and learn how his legacy has shaped current scientific understanding and has lead to breakthroughs in modern science and medicine. Participants will attend the Darwin2009 Houston lecture series at HMNS, as well as other sessions planned just for the students. Prior to each public lecture, the featured speaker will meet privately with the Scholars group to discuss his or her field. This course will give students a look at careers in medical research, astronomy, biology, physics, history and anthropology.
In order to receive course certificate, students may not miss more than one session and must complete and present a presentation project.
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Course SessionsIntroduction to Charles Darwin
Cyrus Mody, Ph.D., Rice University
Tuesday, February 10, 5:45 p.m.
Darwin is one of the best-researched figures in the history of science. Dr. Cyrus Mody, assistant professor of history, Rice University, will introduce you to Darwin and his network of supporters who championed his thesis and ensured its survival.
Investigating with Charles Darwin
Nancy Greig, Ph.D., HMNS
Tuesday, February 17, 5:45 p.m.
Explore the Cockrell Butterfly Center and live Insect Zoo with Dr. Nancy Grieg, director of the Butterfly Center. You will discover living examples how animals adapt to their environment to help their species survive and thrive, and even evolve over time.
“Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion”
Francisco J. Ayala, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
Tuesday, February 24, 5:45 p.m.
Charles Darwin is deservedly given credit for the theory of evolution described natural selection accounting for the design and diversity of organisms. Darwin’s theory is a gift to religion, because the imperfections and cruelties of the living world need not be attributed to the Creator’s design, but to natural processes, just like earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Francisco J. Ayala is noted biologist and philosopher at in Irvine at University of California’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
“The Dance of the Fertile Universe: Evolution or Intelligent Design?”
George V. Coyne, S.J., Vatican Observatory
Tuesday, March 3, 5:45 p.m.
Did we come about by chance or by necessity in the evolving universe? Father Coyne’s concept of the dance of the fertile universe suggests that the universe is abundantly fertile in offering the opportunity for the success of both chance and necessary processes. This characteristic of the universe must be included in the search for our origins in the universe. In this light, Coyne will present the best of our modern scientific understanding of the universe, and then ask: Can we conclude that there is an Intelligent Design to the universe? Fr. George Coyne is director emeritus of the Vatican Observatory in Tucson, Arizona where he was director for over 25 years.
“From Genes to Genomes—Evolution or Revolution in Medicine”
David A. Wheeler, Ph.D., Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine
Tuesday, March 10, 5:45 p.m.
The study of genes that began in the 19th century is now the most promising field of medical research. Dr. David Wheeler, Director of Bioinformatics and Genomics in the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine, will review the history of the gene from Gregor Mendel through the discovery of the structure of DNA. The thread will continue through the Human Genome Sequencing Project, to the completion of our reference genome, which can has found links to disease and cancer, and the prospects for using an individual's genome sequence in routine medical diagnostics.
“Redefining Chimpanzees to Better Understand Human Evolution”
Dr. Jill Pruetz, National Geographic
Sponsored by The Leakey Foundation
Tuesday, March 24, 5:45 p.m.
Through the study of chimpanzees adapting to changing environmental conditions, Dr. Jill Pruetz is able to better our understanding of human evolution, which was also environmentally driven. From hunting with handmade spear-like tools, using caves as shelters during severe weather and using water sources to cool off in the tremendous Senegal heat, the response of living apes to a savanna environment provides us with additional clues as to how our own ancestors may have responded to similar environmental pressures. Dr. Pruetz is a professor of biological anthropology at Iowa State University, who is currently with National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers program.
Student Presentations
Tuesday, March 31, 5:45 p.m.
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