Programme now
available here.12-15 Feb 2009 Christchurch Convention Centre,
Christchurch, New Zealand
BioEd 2009
The Allan Wilson Centre hosted a very successful BioEd2009 meeting. Resources developed during the meeting will be listed on the Allan Wilson Centre site www.allanwilsoncentre.ac.nz site soon.
The meeting was one of the coordinated international events celebrating the birth of Charles Darwin: “Darwin 200 Symposia”. These meetings are being run under the auspices of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), Commission on Biological Education (CBE) and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The aim of “Darwin 200 Symposia” is to celebrate the impact of Darwin’s ideas on current scientific knowledge, with scientific symposia and satellite meetings taking place on five continents.
BioED2009 brought together an international community of individuals interested in science, secondary and tertiary education. Since February 12, 2009, is the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and is 150 years since the publication of the "Origin of Species," the life and legacy of Charles Darwin is at the heart of the proposed meeting. BioEd 2009 will promote understanding of biodiversity and the importance of evolutionary biology through an international exchange of ideas and knowledge about current research and education. It will embrace multiple cultural perspectives, technological advances, curricular practices and materials, informal education, and curiosity of the natural world.
The International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation, established in 1919. Its objectives are:
- to promote the study of biological sciences;
- to initiate, facilitate and coordinate research and other scientific activities necessitating international, interdisciplinary cooperation;
- to ensure the discussion and dissemination of the results of cooperative research, particularly in connection with IUBS scientific programmes;
- to support the organisation of international conferences and assist in the publication of their reports.
More information about IUBS can be found at http://www.iubs.org/newiubs/organisation/
The Commission for Biological Education of IUBS was established in the early seventies as the Union's educational arm. Its major role is to formulate, initiate and facilitate effective methods of improving education in the biological sciences and allied fields, including the applications and implications of biological studies. The Commission is also committed to assist in the international dissemination and exchange of information about biological education and it acts in a consultative capacity when appropriate.
More information about CBE-IUBS can be found at http://www.iubs.org/cbe/historical_overview.html
Another meeting in the Darwin 200 Symposia Series will be held in Punta del Este-Maldonado, Uruguay from 3-6 September 2009. The title is "150 years of Darwin's Evolutionary Theory: a South American Celebration"
For further information see their web site.
