The last—and first—All Carnegie Symposium was in October 1994. It was a two-day event, entitled “From Galaxies to Genes: Evolutionary Processes.” Some 80 Carnegie scientists participated, and eight researchers made presentations. By contrast, the second institution-wide symposium, “Connecting the Earth’s Physical and Biological Components,” which took place this May 4, drew twice the crowd and featured 17 scheduled speakers. It was also the grand finale for the centennial celebrations. Staff Members, Staff Associates, and postdoctoral associates and fellows from all of the departments participated.

The scientific presentations were grouped into four sessions: Constructing the Earth; Energy and Materials for the Start of Life; The Evolving Planet; and The Continuity of Life. Four of the six department directors chaired the sessions, and the other two directors—Chris Field of Global Ecology and Allan Spradling of Embryology—gave talks. Summaries of the presentations follow.