Darwin celebrated, despite controversy, on 200th birthday

With great fanfare and small gestures, teachers and scientists in the suburbs and all over the world will pay tribute this week to the man often called the architect of modern biology - Charles Darwin.

Darwin was born 200 years ago today in England. At the age of 50, he published "The Origin of Species," a book that forever changed the scientific world by arguing that natural selection drives evolution.

Two hundred years after his birth (and 150 years after his most famous book came out), Darwin's theory continues to be the bedrock of biology classes in suburban high schools and colleges. It also continues to be a flash point for controversy.

"It all started with Darwin," said Alfred Martin, professor of biology at Benedictine University in Lisle. "He created the unifying framework of modern biology."

Darwin defined natural selection as the process by which favorable traits in a population get passed on, while unfavorable ones die out. He was the first to show that this process drives the evolution of a species over time.

"He was a pioneer in his field, the same way Isaac Newton was in his," Martin said.

Ryan Conboy, lead teacher in the science department at St. Charles East High School, said natural selection helps explain why new vaccines must be made constantly to fight viral and bacterial infections.

"When you look at something like HIV, for instance, the reason it's so hard to fight is because the virus evolves," Conboy said. "It changes so that it's immune to our efforts to kill it."

Matt Gresk, a biology teacher at Naperville Central High School, said he focuses on Darwin's methods as much as his theories.

"The way he worked is a perfect model of the nature and process of science," Gresk said. "I show my classes how much time he spent observing, collecting data, looking at what others had come up with. His work ethic and care should be emulated."

Of course, Darwin's work isn't embraced by everyone. His work continues to be challenged by some who say that it contradicts the account of creation found in the Bible.

Local educators handle this debate in different ways. Conboy said his position is not to explore faith-based concerns in science class. Gresk allows for some discussion, while Martin's classes "go out of our way" to explore the religious and social implications of Darwin's theory.

"I have my students read two Supreme Court cases about evolution in public schools," he said. "It's a big part of the Darwin story."

To celebrate "Darwin Day," as Darwin's birthday has come to be known, Benedictine University is hosting a variety of activities on Friday, including symposiums about Darwin's life and work as well as a visit from the man himself (actually, Darwin will be played by a biologist from Chicago's Field Museum).

Conboy and Gresk said they don't have anything special planned for their classes, but might find a unique way to honor the man.

"I will wear my 'Darwin is my Homeboy' T-shirt," Gresk said. "It's the only day I get to express how much a dork I am about this guy."