2025 Darwin Festival

Salem State's annual Darwin Festival is a weeklong event that celebrates the work of Charles Darwin, with sessions from leading researchers celebrating the field of biology and its impact on today's world.

All in-person talks will be held in Vets Hall, Ellison Campus Center, North Campus. A number of the talks are webinar only. Events are free and open to the public.

Students and guests who anticipate needing accommodations due to a disability or who have questions about access may contact the Center for Accessible Academic Resources at [email protected] or Ryan Fisher for more information.

Schedule:

9:25 am: Luke Conlin, Chemistry and Physics Department, Salem State University

"Evolution at the Cosmic Scale”

Why do we find ourselves in a Universe that is hospitable for life?  How has order emerged in a Universe that - according to the laws of physics - should be becoming more disordered?  To address these questions, modern cosmologists have been taking inspiration from Darwinian evolution.  Can we extend the principles of evolution beyond the biosphere to understand the evolution of the universe as a whole?  This talk will describe two approaches to the study of cosmic evolution and assess their potential to answer some of our biggest questions.

Sponsored by the Salem State University Chemistry and Physics Department and the Charles Albert Read Trust

12:15 pm: Jess Stephens, Biology Department, Westfield State University

“Revisiting Darwin's Insectivorous Plants: Modern Insights into Carnivorous Plant Evolution”

Charles Darwin is widely known for On the Origin of Species, but his curiosity extended far beyond animals; he was also a passionate botanist with a deep fascination for carnivorous plants. His 1875 work, Insectivorous Plants, investigated how carnivorous plants have adapted to trap and digest prey. In this talk, I will revisit Darwin’s early contributions to our understanding of carnivorous plant evolution and explore how recent advances in evolutionary biology have expanded his work.

Sponsored by the Salem State University Biology Department and ThermoFisher Scientific