Evolution: Education and Outreach, a journal for evolution education published by STM publisher Springer, Germany, is celebrating its first anniversary and the Darwin anniversary year with special issues throughout 2009. The first special issue, focusing on Darwin's work in evolution, coincides with his 200th birthday on February 12, 2009. The issue is free to readers on SpringerLink at www.springerlink.com/content/v6167602g164/?p=590dc71bc0c14273a7821cf6cf0d24a6&pi=0.
The anniversary issue in February will be followed by special issues in June on transitional fossils, in September on curriculum issues and in December on human evolution. These will be available free online at http://www.springerlink.com/content/120878.
Evolution: Education and Outreach recently received an Honorable Mention in the category Journal/Social Sciences & Humanities from the Association of American Publishers' PROSE Awards. The journal seeks to forge direct links between the disconnected worlds of scientific research in evolutionary biology to that of classroom teaching at all levels.
The publication was designed to address the challenges the education community faces - poor training of educators, the misconception that evolutionary theory is stagnant and unchanging, and the religious/political movement that attempts to prevent the teaching of evolution. Scientific information on evolutionary concepts is combined with educational research in evolution education, updates on policy and useful educational tools. International contributions to the journal are seen to attest to its wide-spread appeal.
