Wisconsin Evolution is supported by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Letters and Science at UW-Madison, and is housed in the Department of Genetics. Institute activities are overseen by the Evolution Coordinating Committee and five standing committees, described below.
- Evolution Coordinating Committee: The ECC oversees all activities of Wisconsin Evolution. This committee is chaired by the director, Chris Hittinger.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: This committee works to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of the our activities. See our diversity statement here. The DEI committee is co-chaired by Rob Melde and John Pool.
- Graduate Committee: The graduate committee is charged with examining graduate level courses and educational programs at UW. The committee is exploring the idea of a joint PhD program in evolutionary biology, and is chaired by Sean Schoville.
- Undergraduate Committee: The undergraduate committee is charged with examining undergraduate courses and educational programs at UW that involve (or should involve) evolution. The committee keeps track of current courses and identifies courses that would be desirable to add. The committee played an important role in establishing the Evolution Option within the Biology undergraduate major. It is exploring ways to strengthen the Evolution Option and perhaps to institute a student evolution club. The committee is chaired by Nathaniel Sharp.
- Outreach Committee: In addition to Darwin Day, Wisconsin Evolution works to support public understanding of evolution through its outreach committee. This committee works to arrange workshops for teachers and engage the local community. The committee is chaired by Myron Child.
- Darwin Day Subcommittee: UW-Madison’s Darwin Day events are held every year close to Charles Darwin’s birthday (February 12). The day usually includes an evolution-themed movie night, at least one distinguished speaker, a teacher’s workshop, and a family-oriented collection of activities, displays and exploration stations. All Darwin Day planning and logistics are overseen by a committee which is chaired by Myron Child.
- Evolution Seminar Series Committee: The Evolution Seminar Series (ESS) features speakers from different departments across campus, including Botany, Zoology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Philosophy, Plant Breeding, Horticulture, The Vet School, etc., all focused on evolution. Weekly seminars are on Thursdays at 12:30. Talks are generally ~45 minutes long, followed by questions and discussion. The seminar committee is chaired by Jassim Al-Oboudi and Emily Ubbelohde.
Bylaws
The bylaws of Wisconsin Evolution are available in PDF format here.
The 2022 proposed amended bylaws are available in PDF format here.