Widely known geneticist John Avise
to launch Layman Lecture Series

Geneticist and author John Avise will visit NIU to present the inaugural installment of the Layman Lecture Series.

Endowed by David Layman, an NIU alumnus who taught high school biology in Chicago public schools for nearly 40 years, the lecture series invites speakers to campus to discuss timely and compelling topics in biology.

Avise, a research professor at the University of Georgia, is well known as a pioneer in the field of phylogeography, a branch of evolutionary biology that seeks to understand patterns and processes governing the geographic distribution of genetic lineages. He will present his public lecture, titled “Good and Bad Times for Evolutionary Biology,” at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, in the Montgomery Hall Auditorium.

“The 21st century will offer great challenges, but also opportunities, for the field of evolutionary biology, particularly in areas related to molecular genetic technologies, the environment, biodiversity analyses and public education,” Avise says. “In each of these important areas, the coming decades promise to be both the best and the worst of times for the evolutionary disciplines.”

Avise also will present a departmental seminar at 10 a.m. March 24, in Montgomery Hall Room 442. The seminar is titled “Genetic Assessments of Parentage and Reproductive Behaviors in Natural Populations of Fishes.”

His research centers on the natural history, ecology and evolution of animal populations in nature, primarily through the use of molecular genetic markers. In addition to extensive publications in scientific journals, he is author of two textbooks and editor of a third.

He also has written four books aimed at more general audiences, including “Captivating Life: A Naturalist in the Age of Genetics” (Smithsonian Books, 2001) and “The Hope, Hype, and Reality of Genetic Engineering: Remarkable Stories from Agriculture, Industry, Medicine, and the Environment” (Oxford University Press, 2004).

“We expect this to be the first of many timely and challenging presentations in the Layman Lecture Series,” says Michael Parrish, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. “Mr. Layman’s generosity has made it possible for us to expose our students, faculty, staff and the community to speakers who are on the cutting edge of the biological sciences.”

Layman began teaching high school biology immediately after graduating from NIU in 1957.

He taught in the Chicago Public School system, 13 years at Richard T. Crane High School and 24 years at Carl Schurz High, before retiring in 1995. His recognition of the critical role that NIU plays in preparing good teachers has led him to establish various venues supporting education and students in the Department of Biological Sciences.

3-14-05