Darwinã¢â‚¬â„¢s Theory of Natural Selection Definition Peer Reviewed Articles
© 2008 Chris Collins and Ronald W. Millard
EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. five (September/October 2008)
Galapagos Islands in 2nd Life
In 1832, Charles Robert Darwin, at age twenty-iii and with a freshly minted bachelor’south degree in theology from Cambridge University, was selected to serve every bit the unpaid naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle on its second voyage under Captain Robert FitzRoy. Its mission was to undertake a survey of South America beyond Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, the discipline of the commencement voyage. In the twenty-two years after his return, Darwin conducted myriad geological and natural scientific studies refining his findings and interpretations. On July one, 1858, the Darwin-Wallace papers on evolution theory were read at the Linnean Social club meeting, with niggling note and minor omnipresence. Motivated past the public exposure of the evolution theory, Darwin began an abstract of his planned major work on development, and on November 24, 1859, John Murray of London published a limited, first edition (1,250 copies) of Darwin’s unexpectedly popular On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Choice.
In the 150 years since Darwin’due south treatise was first published, accruing evidence has confirmed evolutionary theory as fact in biology. The terms natural selection, survival of the fittest, and evolution are now broadly practical in such disparate fields as compages, business and finance, medicine, and philosophy—moving well beyond archeology, geology, and biology, from which the testify arises. Well-nigh every discipline in academia studies some aspect of Darwin’southward work; from the scientific to the social and political, the theory of evolution has had a lasting bear upon on our understanding of ourselves and our globe.
In honor of Darwin’s legacy, the University of Cincinnati has planned a two-year celebration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. On the university’south physical campus, the celebration will include a philosophy seminar series, the 2009 North American Paleontological Convention, lectures and symposia in biology, medicine, and business, exhibits of Darwin memorabilia, and much more. Students, faculty, and alumni will have trips to visit historic sites from Darwin’s time in England, and another group will visit the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin’s observations added to his eventual ideas for his theory of evolution. Every bit the planning for the celebration progressed, the planning committee began to explore ways to expand the outreach of the celebration to the general public and even to the globe—and an idea was born.
What if students could participate in a re-creation of Darwin’s historic journey to the Galapagos Islands and see indigenous species in their natural habitats? What if the photographs, videos, and materials nerveless by students on their trips to study Darwin’south work could exist shared with the broader public? At the University of Cincinnati’due south virtual replica of the Galapagos Islands in 2nd Life, they tin can (see Figure one).
Figure 1. The virtual Galapagos Archipelago existence re-created by the University of Cincinnati
In the summertime of 2008, a team of faculty and It staff began the process of re-creating the Galapagos Islands in the virtual world of Second Life. Digital elevation map (DEM) data was used to re-create the geography and terrain of the islands, and a cross-disciplinary team of faculty and researchers are in the procedure of creating digital replicas of existent-life indigenous species from the islands (run into Figure ii).
Figure ii. Model of a land iguana being created for the virtual Galapagos Islands
When the site-building process is complete, the re-created islands will be used in both honors and regular undergraduate courses spanning diverse subject field areas, from biology and geography to the social sciences. Anthony Perzigian, Provost of the University of Cincinnati, said: “The addition of the Darwin Galapagos Project to the University of Cincinnati’s island on Second Life will certainly encourage pedagogic attention of our kinesthesia and fit very well with the learning styles of our entering undergraduates who are ‘digital natives.’â€
Professor Kenneth Petren (see Figure 3), who studies Galapagos finches and is an agile outreach speaker promoting science literacy, volition co-lead an undergraduate honors form that will include a guided visit to the Galapagos Islands in 2009. Petren noted: “The Darwin Galapagos Projection on UC’southward Second Life isle volition expand our ability to bring evidence-based data on species diversity and on evolution to a broader audition through a virtual experiential learning modality. 2d Life allows instructors to convey a sense of place. The landscape is a central part of the Galapagos experience, and it is difficult to convey the sense of scale with photos in a book or lecture. Instructors tin utilize Second Life to nest cadre principals of science and engineering inside their larger context, resulting in a great benefit for the students. It is simply much more exciting to explore and detect things, much like Darwin did during the voyage of the Beagle.â€
Effigy 3. Fleep Tuque (University of Cincinnati Second Life Project Manager Chris Collins) in front end of photographs taken on the existent Galapagos Islands by Professor Kenneth Petren, faculty fellow member in the Department of Biology, University of Cincinnati
In 2009, the virtual Galapagos Islands will be opened to the public, allowing anyone with Internet access and a car capable of running the 2nd Life software to visit the islands, learn about Darwin’s work and the ecology of the Galapagos, and virtually attend symposia and lectures streamed live from the University of Cincinnati campus and from regional partner organizations (encounter Effigy 4). A re-creation of the HMS Beagle will house documents, research notes, and other materials from Darwin’southward journeys, and an automated bout will allow visitors to canvas around the islands on the same route that Darwin took on the Beagle.
Effigy four. The Darwin Commemoration Theatre and Gallery, where live events and symposia will be streamed into Second Life
Goose egg tin supercede visiting the real Galapagos Islands, of course, merely in avatar grade, a visitor (faculty, student, or member of the public) can explore and much more easily visualize the relative scale of terrain and life forms and tin can witness the multifariousness of species first recorded and reported past Darwin. And through the collaborative tools of the Second Life platform, kinesthesia tin share enquiry, create 3D models and data visualizations, and hold virtual seminars that can be attended past students and the public (meet Figure 5), even if they can’t visit the physical University of Cincinnati campus or the real Galapagos Islands.
Figure 5. Reproduction of McMicken Hall on the University of Cincinnati virtual campus in 2nd Life
For more information about the University of Cincinnati’due south Darwin Sesquicentennial Celebration programme Development: Evidence and Affect, delight see http://world wide web.uc.edu/darwin/.
Source: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2008/9/galapagos-islands-in-second-life
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