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Scopes “Monkey” Trial Centennial Symposium

Promotional graphic for the "Scopes 'Monkey' Trial Centennial Symposium," listing speakers and scheduled topics for a two-day event in July 2025.  At the top is a photo of the Nashville skyline at night. The title reads: Scopes “Monkey” Trial Centennial Symposium. The schedule is split into two days:  Day 1 – Saturday, 7/12/25 Topics include:  The History of the Trial (Scopes trial, John T. Scopes' life, fundamentalism in the 1920s)  Modern Challenges to Teaching Evolution (Creationism, Dover trial, general challenges)  Evolution Today (chance in evolution, natural selection and design, behavior, fossil record, human evolution)  Speakers for Day 1 are shown with headshots and affiliations: Ed Larson (Pepperdine), Randy Moore (Minnesota), Adam Laats (Binghamton), Barbara Forrest (SE Louisiana), Ken Miller (Brown), Amanda Townley (NCSE), Sean Carroll (Maryland), Jonathan Losos (WUSTL), Marlene Zuk (Minnesota), Stephen Brusatte (Edinburgh), Briana Pobiner (Smithsonian).  Day 2 – Sunday, 7/13/25 Topics include:  Evolution-informed Research (applications to other fields, global food security, medicine)  Teaching Evolution (science denial, Tennessee educators, museums, media, misteaching)  Evolution and Religion (reconciling belief, science and ethics, harmony, inclusive education)  Speakers for Day 2 are shown with headshots and affiliations: Owen Jones (Vanderbilt), Sophien Kamoun (Sainsbury), Paul Turner (Yale), Gale Sinatra (USC), Wesley Roberts (Hume-Fogg), Corrie Moreau (Cornell), Riley Black (Author), Joseph Graves Jr. (NC A&T State), Jamie Jensen (BYU), Katy Hinman (AAAS), Liz Barnes (MTSU), Lee Meadows (AL STEM).

Register Here

The weekend following the ISEMPH conference (7/12/25 – 7/13/25), we will host an academic symposium featuring dozens of wonderful guest speakers from around the world. This event is sponsored in part by the National Center for Science Education. Leading experts (Ed Larson, Randy Moore, and Adam Laats) on all things Scopes will speak about the history of the trial. Next, we’ll hear about issues facing teachers today as they try to navigate teaching evolution (Barbara Forrest, Kenneth Miller, Amanda Townley). Then, we will hear from folks at the forefront of their evolution-focused fields about their research (Sean Carroll, Jonathan Losos, Marlene Zuk, Stephen Brusatte, and Briana Pobiner).

Day 2 will kick off with evolutionary research in fields other than biology, such as medicine (Paul Turner), agriculture (Sophien Kamoun), and the law (Owen Jones). After that, we’ll have another section on teaching evolution in a broader sense (Gale Sinatra, Corrie Moreau, Riley Black, Joseph Graves, Jr., and Liz Barnes). Our last proper session will be on the relationship of evolution and religion (Jamie Jensen, Katy Hinman, and Lee Meadows). We’ll end with a second roundtable discussion on the future of evolution education.

The cost to register for the event is $250. This includes both days of talks, continental breakfasts, coffee breaks, lunches, and one dinner. Those who register and attend the ISEMPH conference will receive a $50 discount.

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