Full Name Christopher Irwin Smith Occupation Associate Professor of Biology; Department Chair Known for Study of yucca moths and yucca trees Notable work Coevolution of Joshua trees and their Pollinators | ||
Chris Smith is an associate professor of biology at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. In 2013, he was awarded a grant for his work, which was for the study of the relationship between Yucca moths and Yucca trees.
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Background
Smith has suspected that a co-evolution between yucca trees and yucca moths exists. He received a Career grant of $850,000 from the National Science Foundation in 2013 for his work studying the moths and trees. The study he undertook was the co-evolution between plants and their pollinators. The pollinators being the yucca moths and the plants being the yucca trees. At the time of receiving the award, he had the distinction of being the first faculty member at the university to receive a CAREER award. Along with Emily Drew, he also teaches a course, Race, racism, and human genetics. In relation to how scientific endeavors had been permeated by the racial worldview, both he and Drew held a discussion about this at a venue in 2012.
Study of Yucca, Joshua tree
Also in relation to his study of the trees, he studied the phenomenon of the northward migration of the trees and the possible hybridization of the Eastern and Western varieties, with the possibility of this being related to the climate change.
Challenging views on race
Along with fellow Willamette associate professor Emily Drew who is an anti-racism workshop facilitator, he led a discussion on the misrepresentation of race and racial differences. This event was held at the Bagdad Theater & Pub in Portland, Oregon on the 8th of October, 2012. Some may see Smith as dismantling racist pseudoscientific beliefs.