Geological expert to reflect on Darwin as he turns 200

RELEASED: February 12, 2009

DANVILLE, KY—Dr. Mark Wilson, Lewis M. and Marian Senter Nixon Professor of Natural Sciences at The College of Wooster and an expert on geology, invertebrate paleontology and issues concerning creationism, will present a talk titled "Darwin Bicentennial: A Geologist Looks at Charles Darwin" on Monday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Young Hall Room 101 on campus. The talk is free and open to the public.

Wilson will discuss the contributions of Darwin to the understanding of the geological history of the earth and the evolution of life. Darwin, whose 200th birthday is Feb. 12, developed the theory of natural selection to explain the process of evolution, which is the basis for modern evolutionary theory.

Wilson received his B.A. in geology from The College of Wooster and his Ph.D. in paleontology from the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught at The College of Wooster since 1982, and has served as the chair of the Department of Geology numerous times. Wilson has had nearly 50 journal articles published, in addition to many book chapters, reviews, magazine articles, invited papers and abstracts. Wilson has received many grants, honors and awards, including an Excellence in Education Award from Ohio Magazine in 2004.

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