Changing Humans in Changing Environment

Cosponsored by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent)  

An Evolution Symposium and Teaching Workshop at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Professional Development Conference, Anaheim Marriot, Anaheim, CA.

Description

AIBS and NESCent will cosponsor the eighth annual evolution symposium and teaching workshop at the 2011 National Association of Biology Teachers Professional Development Conference.

The symposium will feature scientists whose research in human evolution adds to our growing understanding of human origins. Speakers will address the dynamic interplay between the ecological forces that shaped the distinctive traits that make us human, and human actions that are changing the environment around us.

For those interested in learning how to incorporate the research presented in the symposium into their courses, a workshop on teaching about human evolution in a changing environment will take place on Saturday morning.

Program

Friday, October 14: Symposium
1:30-5:30 pm
Orange County Ballrooms 2 & 3 at the Anaheim Marriott

1:30 pm    Introduction – James P. Collins, AIBS President, Arizona State University, AZ

1:45 pm    Rick Potts, Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
The challenges of becoming human: Evolution in an era of dramatic climate change
How have humans today become one of the most adaptable species on Earth? In this talk, Dr. Potts will illustrate the evidence of extinctions and the emergence of adaptations over the past 6 million years of human evolution, one of the most dramatic eras of environmental change in Earth’s history.

2:30 pm  Jill Pruetz, Department of Anthropology, Iowa State University, IA
What can chimpanzees tell us about human evolution?
Studying chimpanzees living in a savanna environment in Senegal allows Dr. Pruetz to assess what is most limiting to apes in this harsh environment, similar to the habitat of the earliest bipedal apes. Comparing the behavior of savanna chimpanzees to those that live in forests allows her to pose hypotheses regarding what may have influenced the behavior and ecology of our earliest relatives.

 

3:30 pm  Susan Antón, Department of Anthropology, New York University, NY
Becoming human in a changing world: the early evolution ofHomo.
The fossil discoveries of the last decade have radically altered our view of the early evolution of our genus. Dr. Antón’s research has led to an understanding of the connection between the changing world of the Pleistocene, dietary resources, and small changes in teeth and jaws that increased survival rate, shaping the origin and early evolution of Homo.

4:15 pm  John Hawks, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI

New discoveries from ancient genomes
The DNA from Neandertals and other ancient people is yielding a new understanding of their biology and relationship to living humans. Many of us carry genes from these people. Dr. Hawks and other scientists are beginning to find out which ones, and what they may do.

5:00 pm  Closing Remarks – Allen Rodrigo, Director, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Durham, NC

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Saturday, October 15: Teaching Workshop
9:30-11:30 am
Newport Beach (lower level meeting room) at the Anaheim Marriott

Interested in receiving teaching materials and learning about strategies to teach human evolution in your classroom? 
Join us to engage in hands-on activities, explore the teaching resources 
that accompany the symposium content, and learn about the 
Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program educator resources.

Registration

To register for this event, you will need to register for the NABT Conference:http://www.nabt.org/websites/institution/index.php?p=10#Conf_2

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