Duke Lemur Center at NC Museum of Natural Science

Tropics Day at the NC Museum of Natural Science

By Charlie Welch

On Saturday, July 18 the Duke Lemur Center participated in the first “Tropics Day” celebration at the NC Museum of Natural Science. Exhibits included live animals and sustainable tropical crops such as chocolate (cacao). The theme of the DLC exhibit was of course Madagascar, and focused on the urgency of conservation efforts in that unique tropical island country. The DLC exhibit was visited by a steady crowd throughout the day, and the total attendance for Tropics Day was over 6,000 visitors to the museum! It was a great opportunity to raise awareness about lemurs, Madagascar, and the Duke Lemur Center.

Duke Lemur Center Director , Dr. Anne Yoder Speaks at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences

N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
Downtown Raleigh
is pleased to announce The Charles Darwin Lecture Series in honor of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth year.

Third Lecture in the Series
Thursday, July 9th, 6:30 p.m.
Anne Yoder: Madagascar's Magnificent Biodiversity: What Would Darwin Say?

Yoder is director of the Duke Lemur Center. Her research focuses on phylogeny and evolution of mammals, conservation genetics, and the historical biogeography and biodiversity of Madagascar, one of the most critical geographic priorities for conservation action worldwide. In addition to her role at the Lemur Center, Yoder is a professor of biology, biological anthropology and anatomy at Duke University. She is also associate editor for Evolution magazine and on the editorial board for the International Journal of Primatology and Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution.

Please RSVP to museum.reservations@ncmail.net or call 919-733-7450 ext. 307.
This lecture is free of charge and seating is on a first come, first served basis. Doors to the Museum and auditorium will open at 6:00 p.m.

The Museum, in collaboration with the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) and the W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology at North Carolina State University, is presenting The Charles Darwin Lecture Series throughout 2009 to commemorate the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of "The Origin of Species." Upcoming lectures will feature Museum paleontologists Dr. Dale Russell on September 29th and Paul Brinkman on November 24th.

The Museum is located at the corner of Jones and Salisbury Streets in downtown Raleigh.
For more information, call 919.733.7450, toll free 1.877.4NATSCI, or visit www.naturalsciences.org


Post by--
Anne S. Lacey
Biology Graduate Program