Date
23/02/2013
Time
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Location
Woodlands Regional Library
Woodlands Civic Centre, 900 South Woodlands Drive
Singapore
Join us as we celebrate the amazing biodiversity on our planet at Darwin Day 2013. A great afternoon out for adults and children alike!
Highlights:
- Fascinating talks by distinguished speakers
- Storytelling Sessions
- Book Displays
- Games and Craft Sessions
Proudly brought to you by Humanist Society, Singapore in collaboration with the National Library Board. All this and more happening on:
Date: Saturday, 23 February 2013
Place: Woodlands Regional Library Auditorium
Time: 1.30pm to 3.30pm
To secure your place for this event, you can:
- Drop a message to events(at)humanist.org.sg with your name and group size
- RSVP on Facebook
- RSVP on Meetup
Darwin Day 2013 Topics:
The Evolution of Flowers
By Dr. Benito C. Tan, Department of Biological Sciences, NUS
Flowers have enticed the imagination of artists, writers and scientists alike. However, they are a new plant organ that came into being from nowhere, evolutionary speaking. Learn how flowers have evolved from early equivalent structures in primitive plants to the final blossoming of myriad forms of colorful flowers seen today.
Dr. Ben C. Tan studies the taxonomy, systematics, evolution and conservation of East Asiatic and Malesian moss diversity for more than 30 years. He also is interested in the taxonomy of Philippine fern flora, especially the group of Selaginella. He has conducted numerous expeditions to collect and document the diversity of mosses in many countries in Asia and North America.
Secret Shores of Singapore
By Ria Tan
No need to swim, no need to dive! Ordinary people can experience much of Singapore’s amazing marine life on the intertidal shore. Otters, wild dolphins, sea turtles! Nemos, sea snakes, living corals and more. From accessible shores like Changi and Tanah Merah, to our many huge submerged reefs. Ria shares photos and stories of recent adventures on our living shores. How can we visit our shores? And find out how you CAN make a difference for our little-known shores!
Ria Tan is just an ordinary person who is passionate about Singapore’s marine life. She currently regularly monitors about 40 seashore locations in Singapore and has been doing so for 10 years. She blogs at “wild shores of Singapore” and runs the “wildsingapore”. She works closely with NParks, helps to manage TeamSeagrass and volunteers with the Mega Marine Survey of Singapore.
Darwin’s Discoveries
By Dr. John van Whye
Perhaps no one has influenced our knowledge of life on Earth as much as the English naturalist Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882). His theory of evolution by natural selection, now the unifying theory of the life sciences, explained where all of the astonishingly diverse kinds of living things came from and how they became exquisitely adapted to their particular environments.
Dr John van Wyhe, leading expert in the life and work of Charles Darwin, will be presenting a brief overview of Darwin’s life and main achievements, including his round-the-world journey on the survey ship, HMS Beagle. Dr John will be speaking about Darwin’s discoveries during this voyage, highlighting the many unique specimens of plants and animals found on the Galapagos Islands.
John van Wyhe (B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab)) is a historian of science, Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Biological Sciences & History and a Fellow of Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore. He is the founder and Director of Darwin Online and Wallace Online, Professorial Fellow of Charles Darwin University, Fellow of the Linnean Society of London and a Scientific Associate of the Natural History Museum (London).
