Dr. Charles H. Smith, Science Librarian and Professor of Library Public Services at WKU, recently gave a presentation on the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace at a conference at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.

Wallace died 100 years ago this year, and Dr. Smith, a leading student and expert of the co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection, is taking part in various commemoration proceedings. In addition to UNAM, four other international conferences have extended expenses-paid invitations to Smith to speak, including New York, two in England, and Sarawak.

“These conferences are a great opportunity to share my views on Wallace as well as discuss related theoretical science ideas,” Dr. Smith said. “I look forward to meeting others who have similar interests and ideas about Wallace.”

Considered a leading expert on one of history’s most influential biology figures, Dr. Smith has reconstructed Wallace’s published bibliography and philosophy including making more than 1,000 of his publications accessible in full text on the Internet. This work has also led to more than 20 published papers and four book projects over the past several years.

He will be writing several articles and has already finished two related books this year, one of which, Alfred Russel Wallace’s 1886-1887 Travel Diary: The North American Lecture Tour, was just published and a second, a set of essays, will be released in French this summer.