Villanova and Academy of Natural Sciences Sponsor Mendel Exhibit in Philadelphia

Starting this spring, Villanova University and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia are co-sponsoring a traveling exhibition titled "Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics."

"The partnership with the Academy, such a well respected museum in Philadelphia, is an enormous opportunity for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences," said Kate Szumanski, Director of Communications for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The exhibition traces the development of genetics as a branch of scientific study, with special attention to the contributions of Gregor Mendel.

Mendel was a 19^th century friar and science teacher who designed an experiment with pea plants through which he ultimately revealed fundamental laws of heredity. Mendel's results were published in a local scientific journal in 1866, but the significance of his work remained unrecognized for several decades.

Finally, in 1900 botanists Carl Correns, Hugo de Vries, and Erich von Tschermak each referred to Mendel's experiments in their own articles on hybridization. At last, thirty-four years after its publication, Mendel received the recognition that his discoveries had earned.

"So many of us know Mendel only as "the Father of Genetics," a quick one liner in a science textbook," said Szumanski. "The exhibit... delves deeper into the life and work of Mendel, and how he meticulously devised his scientific experiments, which serve as the foundation for the rise of genetic research."

Artifacts from Mendel's home, the Augustinian Abbey of St. Thomas in Brno, Czech Republic, will be on display. Visitors will see Mendel's hand-written notes, personal correspondences, botanical specimens, scientific instruments, and more.

In addition to the rare artifacts that will be on display, the exhibit also features interactive technology which will help to acquaint visitors with the story of Mendel's life and works as a scientist and Augustinian friar in the 17^th century.