Duke Lecture

Thank you to all who made the 2011 Duke Lecture another success!  If you missed it, here is the link to watch the presentation. 

Mark your calendars for our annual Duke Lecture on Friday, October 12. We are very excited that Dr. Scott Lanyon, Chair of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and former Director of the Bell Museum, will speak on the Tree of Life. The concept of all species being related to each other can be thought of as kingdoms and phyla being trunks and major branches of a tree, and we can think of species as leaves on this tree.

Dr. Lanyon will talk about how scientists study these evolutionary relationships between species, and then give some examples of the insights that have been gained from better understanding of the avian branch specifically. This event is free, and open to the public. It is intended for those with a general to intermediate knowledge of birds. This event has filled up quickly our last few years; we will have a link for RSVP’s starting in August.

The Duke Lecture Series began in 2006 by Dr. William H. and Mary E. Holleman, lifelong friends of Dr. Gary Duke, co-founder of The Raptor Center. The Hollemans’ gift to establish a lectureship endowment fund pays tribute to Dr. Duke’s work and legacy at the University of Minnesota and The Raptor Center. An annual lecture hosted by The Raptor Center features speakers on the topic of avian medicine, avian conservation, and other pertinent avian topics.