Evolution expert to speak at Lakeland Sept. 30
Lakeland College will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” with a guest lecture by evolution expert Kenneth Miller.
Miller, the author of two noted works on evolution, will speak at Lakeland at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, in Lakeland’s Bradley Fine Arts Building.
His lecture is free and open to the public.
Miller, a professor of biology and the Royce Family Professor for Teaching Excellence at Brown University, will address the scientific standing of evolutionary theory in relation to religious views of nature.
A superstar in the public outreach and engagement world, Miller has appeared in court in support of evolution, including his participation as a lead scientific witness in the Dover, Pa., Intelligent Design trial.
He made an extraordinarily persuasive public case for the power of science in general, and the validity of evolution in particular, to explain the natural world. He was extensively quoted and filmed in the news and entertainment media, and in the process he did the scientific community an immeasurable service.
Miller's research on cell membrane structure and function has led to more than 60 scientific papers and reviews in leading journals. He is also the co-author of one of the most widely used high school biology textbooks (Prentice Hall's Biology), which has gone through numerous editions with millions of copies in print.
This volume is especially notable for its articulate emphasis on evolution as an underlying principle in the life sciences.
Miller did his undergraduate work at Brown, graduating in 1970, earned his doctorate in 1974 at the University of Colorado, and spent six years teaching at Harvard University before returning to Brown. He serves as an advisor on life sciences to “The NewsHour,” a daily PBS television program on news and public affairs.
His popular book, “Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution,” addresses the scientific status of evolutionary theory and its relationship to religious views of nature. His new book, “Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul,” was published in 2008.
Miller has been honored for his sustained efforts and excellence in communicating evolutionary science.
He has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Citation of the American Institute for Biological Sciences, 2005; the Public Service Award from the American Society for Cell Biology, 2006; Science Educator of the Year by the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco, 2007; and the Distinguished Service Award of the National Association of Biology Teachers, 2008. Miller was honored as a AAAS Fellow in 2006.
