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McClung Museum Hosts Annual Darwin Day Celebration on February 5 

January 31, 2022 

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture will host a free family day in celebration of Charles Darwin’s 214th birthday on Sunday, February 5. The event will run from 12–4 pm and will feature a wide range of activities for children and adults.   

The celebration will include family-friendly activity stations exploring themes of deep time, evolution, adaptation, and the scientific influence of Darwin. Activities will be led by McClung Museum educators and University of Tennessee scientists and graduate students.   

Guests will have the opportunity to learn about Ichthyology (the study of fish) and Zooarchaeology (the study of animal bones) in connection to evolutionary traits and behaviors, as well as ocean life from the Ordovician period when oceans covered the state of Tennessee. Activity stations will allow guests to take a close look at fossil specimens and create their own fossils to take home.   

As part of the day’s activities, visitors are welcome to enjoy cookies, prizes, and take photos with the giant, ten-foot-tall Darwin puppet. Guests may also bring their personal rock and fossil collections to be identified by experts.  

Darwin Day is made possible by the support of contributing partners at UT, including the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) and the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology.  

“Life, earth, and environments are continually changing, and Tennessee has a rich history! Ancient oceans once covered Knoxville, tropical forests and ice age conditions were here after that,” said EPS Department Head Dr. Alycia Stigall. “I hope that visitors to Darwin Day come away with an understanding of the history of the plants and animals of our home and how this place has changed through time.”  

The Darwin Day celebration is free to attend, but capacity is limited. Visit tiny.utk.edu/DarwinDay23 to register.  

About the McClung Museum   

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture is at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and visiting hours are 9 am to 5 pm Tuesday–Saturday and 12 pm to 4 pm on Sundays. Visitors should register at tiny.utk.edu/visitmcclung and review the visitor guidelines, parking information, and check-in process.   

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If you would like more information, please contact Emily Reichard (ereichar@utk.edu, 865-974-2144) 

 


Special Thanks to Our Sponsor

Darwin Day is supported in part by federal award number 21.027 awarded to Knox County by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Arts & Culture Alliance.  

 

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