Title: "Darwin's Importance Continues, 200 Years After Birth"
Creator: Melanie Calhoun (Rogue Enderfield)
Date: 2/13/09
Summary: The birthday cake represents the celebration of Charles Darwin's bicentennial. The animals in the scene represent Darwin's major achievement, the theory of evolution by natural selection.
News Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/science/10evolution.html?_r=1&scp=8&sq=darwin&st=cse
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/02/12/darwin.birthday/index.html?iref=newssearch
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUZiVsZ1bQo
Interaction: Clicking on the Info board will give the user a note card containing a description of the project. The scene itself gives the user a firsthand view of Darwin's theory in action and of the celebration of his momentous achievements.
Motivation: I chose to make a model representing the 200 years since Darwin's birth because although it's been many years since Darwin lived, his ideas are still very relevant in today's world. His theory of evolution by natural selection has revolutionized biology and is still important to biological studies to this day. While his theory is mostly accepted in scientific communities today, it is still hotly debated in the general public. Therefore this topic is both culturally and scientifically relevant in today's world.
Description: The animals in the scene represent a simplified view of Darwin's explosive theory of evolution. The progression from the fish to the salamander to the chimpanzee expresses how life evolved from sea life to land animals and then to upright walking animals. The birthday cake represents the cause for celebration of the 200 years since Darwin's birth. His theory has become essential to science and our understanding of life as we know it. There are twenty candles on the cake, each representing 10 years since Darwin's birth.
