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UW proposes evolution institute

Committee proposes establishing way to do cross-college research by this fall

An idea for the establishment of an institute for the study of evolution on the University of Wisconsin campus is evolving among members of the scientific community who are currently working on a draft of a formal proposal to bring the concept to life.

The UW Evolution Coordinating Committee — an informal group that pursues evolution initiatives on campus — plans to propose the J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, which would be established sometime this fall.

“We think it is extremely important to have a focal point for evolution on campus,” said David Baum, committee chair and a UW botany professor. “We want to be able to do things more formally and apply for funding externally.”

The committee is scheduled to vote on a current draft within the next two weeks, after which a copy will be sent to the university for approval. Baum said it must first be approved at the individual college level before the university views the proposal.

Baum said the institute would cost around $5,000 a year, adding he hopes to have the institute finalized by November, which marks the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s “Origin of the Species.”

A tentative draft of the proposal states the institute would facilitate valuable cross-college research, bridging the divide between faculty currently spread across different departments.

“There is a particular need for such an institute at this time because evolution is so central to many scientific disciplines, because the study of evolution is advancing quickly and because UW-Madison’s expertise in evolution spans multiple colleges and schools,” the proposal says. “We also expect that an institute would serve as a highly visible symbol of UW’s commitment to evolutionary studies.”

According to Baum, colleges all over the United States have evolution programs, but UW’s institute would stand out because of an emphasis on applied evolution.

The formation of an institute would allow the committee to solidify its presence on campus and accomplish tasks such as applying for outside funding and increasing research opportunities. This would lead to opportunities for students such as enhanced curriculum offerings and more connections to the greater evolution community.