J.T. Scopes Lectures

The J.T. Scopes Lecture is named after John T. Scopes, the Tennessee science teacher involved in the infamous “Scopes Monkey Trial” who was charged and convicted for teaching evolution in a Dayton, TN high school in 1925. The “J. T. Scopes Lecture” series aims to highlight the work of high-profile scientists that speak truth to power and defend science. This distinguished lecture series was launched in 2022.

Our next Scopes Lecture will be March 18, 2026 from Tyrone B Hayes.

Tyrone Hayes speaks while gesturing with one hand during a presentation. He wears a black suit with a patterned green tie and a matching green scarf draped over his shoulders. A microphone is clipped to his tie, and a large earring is visible in his left ear. He stands in front of a window with dark curtains. — Biologist Dr. Tyrone Hayes spoke to students at King University on Monday as part of the Buechner Institute lecture series. Hayes in known for his work involving the effects of chemicals on amphibians.

Find a list of our previous J. T. Scopes Lectures here:

Speaker	Institution	Date	Topic	Media
Judge John E. Jones III	Dickinson College	2025 02/25	Evolution and Religion in the Law	Press Release Coming Soon
Carl Bergstrom	University of Washington	2024 03/06	Information foraging in a social media world	Press Release
Scott Edwards	Harvard University	2023 03/29	Exploring bird diversity through genomics, museums and a two-wheeled cross-country adventure	Press Release
Elisabeth Bik	Independent Investigator	2022 03/02	The Dark Side of Science: Misconduct in Biomedical Research	Press Release