A free presentation titled “Erasmus Darwin: England’s Leonardo?” is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Northern Michigan University’s Whitman Hall. 

            The presentation will be given by Christopher Smith, honorary visiting fellow in the department of vision sciences at Aston University in the United Kingdom. He was chair of the Erasmus Darwin Bicentennial Committee from 1999-2002.

            Darwin—the grandfather of Charles Darwin—was an Englishphysician, natural philosopher, physiologist, inventor and poet. He was one of the founding members of the Lunar Society, a group of progressive industrialists and natural theorists. His inventions included a variety of weather-detecting devices, a carriage that would not tip over and a copier machine. He was also an avid anti-slavery campaigner.

            Smith’s presentation is part of the International Speaker Series at NMU and is co-sponsored by the NMU psychology department.