Programs and Schedule

The conference opens on Thursday, October 11, with an opportunity for a behind-the-scenes open house of the vast collections and environmental research labs of the Academy.

The highlight of the day is the presentation of the Academy’s prestigious Leidy Award to Dr. Douglas Futuyma, distinguished professor of ecology and evolution at Stony Brook University. Dr. Futuyma’s keynote address will be followed by a reception in the museum.

The Leidy Award was established in 1923 in honor of Dr. Joseph Leidy (1823–1891) a leading 19th-century anatomist, paleontologist, parasitologist, and president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. The award honors excellence in publications, explorations, discoveries, or research in the natural sciences. Previous recipients of the Leidy Award include Academy ornithologist James Bond (1975), biologist Dr. Edward O. Wilson (1979), and evolutionary biologists Drs. Peter and Rosemary Grant (1995).

Friday, October 12, includes speaker sessions, speaker panel discussion, poster presentations, and a closing reception on the campus of Drexel University at the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, Philadelphia’s newest landmark for scientific research and the future of integrated science. This building serves as the new home of Drexel’s Biology Department and features North America’s largest living biowall, the only such structure at an American university.

Symposium Schedule