Special Projects

150th Anniversary of Origins of Species/Year of Science

2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection. In addition, 2009 celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln (who was responsible for founding the National Academy of Sciences), the 400th anniversary of the publication of Johannes Kepler’s first two Laws of Planetary Motion, the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Burgess Shale by the paleontologist Charles D. Walcott, the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of a telescope to study the skies, and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of USDA Forest Service Experimental Forest and Ranges, the largest system of dedicated experimental sites in the US. We propose a 2008-09 AY celebration of science with Darwin and evolutionary studies as a central theme and to highlight the importance of evolutionary studies to our understanding of the history of our planet, to the health of humans, and to the future of the biosphere that is confronted with unprecedented global climatic change.

“History suggests that a nation that relinquishes the torch of science puts its future prosperity at risk and jeopardizes its place in the history of civilization. The [National Science] Board believes that we must not let this fate befall our country”. — National Science Board (NSB) 2020 Vision for the National Science Foundation,
December 28, 2005

The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) is a grassroots effort linking universities, scientific societies, science centers and museums, government agencies, advocacy groups, media, educators, businesses, and industry in a peer network having as its goal a greater public understanding of the nature of science and its value to society. A key objective of COPUS is to build bridges among its participants, creating new forums for communication and developing new partnerships for engaging the public with science.

Through the Emergent Universe Alliance, ICAM and I2CAM support educational and outreach programs for an audience that includes middle school and high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, the scientific community, and children and adults outside a classroom or research environment. Nandini Trivedi, Arthur Epstein, John Wilkins, and Bruce Patton of the Department of Physics and colleagues from the College of Engineering make up the Ohio State ICAM Branch. Mindy Wright serves as OSU ICAM Outreach Coordinator.

One project of the the Ohio State ICAM branch is a yearly festival of physics with COSI.

The Africa Network at The Ohio State University is sponsored by the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences in partnership with the Office of International Affairs and the Center for African Studies. The Africa Network has grown to encompass people throughout the university—with some beyond its boundaries—who have interests, programs, and projects, not just in Southern Africa, but across the entire continent. The primary function of the Africa Network is to share information.