Dr. Charles H. Smith, Western Kentucky University Libraries’ Science Librarian and Professor of Library Public Services, has been invited to give a presentation on British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on Nov. 22 at a conference at The Linnean Society of London — the world’s oldest active biological society.
The conference celebrates the double occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first presentation of the theory of natural selection in 1858, and the upcoming publication of Dr. Smith’s Oxford University Press book on Wallace titled “Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace.â€
“I’m looking forward to personally meeting several of the people I have been corresponding with over the years,†Dr. Smith said. “This conference is a great opportunity to share my views on Wallace as well as discuss related theoretical science ideas.â€
Considered a leading expert on one of history’s most influential biology figures, Dr. Smith has reconstructed Wallace’s published bibliography and philosophy including making more than 500 of his publications accessible in full-text on the Internet. This work also has led to nine published papers and three book projects over the past several years.
Smith was recently nominated for membership in The Linnean Society of London and was made a “Fellow†by vote of Society members on Oct. 9, 2008. While in England, Smith will also be giving a lecture at the Wessex Institute of Technology. For more information, see Dr. Smith’s Alfred Russel Wallace website.
Charles Smith is quoted in an article linked to from the Huffington Post.