Notice Board

The Religious Studies Department, the Religious Studies Interfaith Fund, and the Department of Philosophy presents:

Evolution and Other Foundational Concepts at the Royal Tyrrell Museum
Guest Speaker:  David A. Eberth (Royal Tyrrell Musem, Drumheller, AB)
Day/Date:  Thursday, October 13, 2016
Time:  7:00 p.m.
Location:  TH-201

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller is a science museum and research center that specializes in paleontology—the study of ancient life.  In particular, the Museum celebrates the scientific study of Western Canada’s Late Cretaceous dinosaur record, focusing on that part of the dinosaurian world that existed 80 to 66 million years ago.  With an annual visitation of more than 500,000, we can safely assume that our visitors have diverse backgrounds and interests, and that some of our visitors are young earth creationists.  This talk explores the museum’s approach to communicating to such a diverse group of visitors, including those with strong religious beliefs.  While respecting everyone’s right to believe what they choose, the Tyrrell Museum’s message has remained clear for 31 years: our research and presentations are based on the best available science, and are rooted in the foundational concepts of the earth and biological sciences (evolution, plate tectonics, stratigraphy, and deep time). Whereas the scientific research staff take such concepts for granted, the public sometimes finds them alien and novel, challenging to grasp or accept, and some simply reject them outright. Accordingly, we opened a new gallery in 2016 to explore and explain these concepts further so that the public could better appreciate all of the museum’s exhibits. Additionally, our staff are trained to address religious concerns by emphasizing the museum’s scientific mandate. So far, the response to the exhibit and interactions with interpretive staff have been overwhelmingly positive.