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News Release

Last modified: Monday, April 2, 2007

Joan Wood lecturer to discuss early evolution, balancing career and motherhood

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- University of California at Berkeley evolutionary biologist Nicole King will discuss her work and its balancing with extracurricular life as the 2007 Joan Wood Lecture Series honoree.

King's talk, "Finding my way: fossils, choanoflagellates, and motherhood," will take place on Wednesday, April 4, at 4:00 p.m. in Myers Hall 130 on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. A reception with refreshments will follow King's presentation.

King is a graduate of IU Bloomington's Biology Department (B.S., 1992). While in Bloomington, King studied with Distinguished Professor of Biology Thom Kaufman, who studies evolutionary biology and development.

In 2005, King was given the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, a no-strings-attached $500,000 award sometimes called the "genius grant" because it is given to people who have demonstrated uncontestable brilliance in their fields. MacArthur noted discoveries King has made elucidating the evolution of multicellular organisms from one-celled ancestors.

The Joan Wood Lecture Series is designed to encourage undergraduate women to pursue advanced degrees in science. The series provides a forum for undergraduates to interact with women in science-related careers and showcases the many opportunities available to science majors.

For more information, please contact Kathy Wyss, IU Bloomington Biology, at 812-855-6195 or kwyss@indiana.edu.

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