Patrícia Pessoa

Meet the Executive Board

Patrícia Pessoa (president); Science Education Researcher; Education for Sustainable Development; Evolutionary literacy; Primary Education; Future thinking; introvert; designing ideas for fun; powered by paws; tennis & padel; Portugal

Isabell K. Adler (treasurer); Science Education Researcher; Cognitive biases & metacognition; Evolutionary literacy; Plant awareness; Primary & Secondary Education; networker; dinosaur aficionado; gaming & dancing; Switzerland

Georgios Ampatzidis (board member); Assistant Professor; Teaching and learning about nature and the environment; Evolutionary literacy; Plant awareness; Early childhood education; father of two sons; short story writing; Greece

Meet the Evoke Executive Board!

A team with different backgrounds, shared values, and a strong commitment to our community.

We look forward to working with you and shaping what comes next together!

#EvoKE

EvoKE wishes you a Happy Valentine's Day and wants you to check out our info post about sexual selection

Citius, Altius, Fortius Faster. Higher. Stronger. Since Charles Darwin introduced sexual selection, it’s often been reduced to a simple story: Males compete harder. Shine brighter. Outperform rivals. Win the female.

This interpretation makes courtship look like a one-way performance. But evolution is rarely a solo act. Many mating systems only make sense when we look at what’s happening on both sides.

In "Bitch”, zoologist and science writer Lucy Cooke highlights research by behavioral ecologist Gail Patricelli: Sexual selection doesn’t just shape flashy traits. It can also foster the development of something else: social intelligence Let’s spotlight some courtship behaviors

Happy Valentine’s Day 💌

Citius, Altius, Fortius — faster, higher, stronger.

Sexual selection is often told as a competition story.
But is courtship really a one-way performance?

👇 Examples in the next post.

#ValentinesDay #EvolutionaryBiology #EvoKE

Darwin Day, February 12th 2026, EvoKE

Anticipate evolution to protect human health Pathogens and cancer cells evolve rapidly. Evolutionary biology helps us design health interventions, from antibiotics to cancer therapies, that anticipate evolutionary responses, slowing resistance instead of accelerating it.

Design food systems that work with evolution Pests and pathogens adapt quickly to uniform crops and intensive practices. Evolutionary thinking supports diversity-based and adaptive farming strategies that reduce evolutionary arms races and increase long-term food security.

Protect evolutionary potential in a changing world Species and ecosystems respond to climate change through evolutionary and ecological processes that unfold over time. Evolutionary biology highlights the importance of intraspecific biodiversity and helps identify which populations hold higher adaptive potential, and informs management and conservation plans to support resilience.

Today we celebrate Darwin Day! 🎉
Today is not just about celebrating Darwin, but about how evolutionary biology helps us address today’s challenges.
Evolution is not only about the past. It’s a way of thinking for building more sustainable futures.
How are you marking Darwin Day?

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 🎉
We’re celebrating by highlighting women who have shaped evolutionary biology.
Who are the women scientists that inspire you?
#WomenInScience #February11 #EvolutionaryBiology #Feminism #EvoKE

Not sure yet about joining #EvoKE2025? Here’s a reason 👇
🎙️ Spyros Sfenthourakis will dive into “On apes and men, or, misconceptions, tactics, and truths in talking about evolution to the public”.
A unique chance to reflect on how we communicate evolution.
See you in Athens?
🔗 bit.ly/47QaDPx

Thinking about whether #EvoKE2025 is for you? Don’t miss this!
✍️ Rita Ponce will guide the workshop “Creating written content — crafting evolution stories and getting your message across”
Learn how to communicate evolution in clear, engaging, and impactful ways.
See you in Athens?
🔗 bit.ly/47QaDPx

Still deciding about #EvoKE2025? This might help:
Dana Zeidler will give a plenary talk on “The Evolution of Epistemic Insight and Socioscientific Issues in Science Education: A Scientific Literacy Perspective”
A must-hear for anyone passionate about science education and literacy
🔗 bit.ly/47QaDPx

Still not sure about joining #EvoKE2025? 👇
💡 Workshop with Tania Jenkins: “(Co)-designing evolutionary research, education and outreach for societal impact”.
A hands-on opportunity to explore how research and education can create meaningful change in society.
See you in Athens?
🔗 bit.ly/47QaDPx

Still wondering if #EvoKE2025 in Athens is for you?
✨ Don’t miss Maria João Fonseca on “Evolution education in science centres and museums”.
Her talk will explore how informal learning spaces can transform the way we engage the public with evolution.
See you in Athens?
🔗 bit.ly/47QaDPx

🚨 Reminder!
The deadline to submit for #EvoKE25 is September 25th 🗓️
Don’t miss the chance to be part of this!

👉 More info & dates: evokeproject.org/important-da...

@eseb.bsky.social @evolletters.bsky.social @sse-evolution.bsky.social @natecoevo.nature.com @jevbio.bsky.social

📢 Exciting news! EvoKE2025 will take place in Athens, Greece 🇬🇷 from 6–8 November 2025!
Join us to share your work and build global connections in #Evolution #education & #outreach!
🔗 evokeproject.org/evoke2025-at...
#EvoKE2025

A framework to identify opportunities to address socioscientific issues in the elementary school curricula: A case study from England, Italy, and Portugal Scientific literacy is crucial to address important and complex societal problems, both current and future. Teaching using a socioscientific issues (SSI) approach is a potential strategy to develop st...

📢New paper!
How can teachers integrate #SocioscientificIssues into science classes?
We present FIOSSI, a framework to identify SSI opportunities in #schoolcurricula. Our analysis of 🇬🇧🇮🇹🇵🇹 reveals great potential to boost awareness, reasoning & identity bit.ly/4iI7yDu

Evolutionary literacy as a catalyst for sustainable futures: connecting biological evolution education and education for sustainability - Evolution: Education and Outreach In the face of growing societal, public health and environmental challenges linked to the functioning of the biosphere, strong evolutionary literacy emerges as indispensable to plan and achieve sustai...

📖 Read the full paper here: bit.ly/3ZL6ND0
Your feedback and shares are greatly appreciated. 💡✨

We also connect evolutionary literacy with #systemsthinking and #anticipatory competencies to address global challenges, proposing educational resources to enhance these skills and evolution education. 🌍🧠
Let’s rethink how we educate for a sustainable future!

In this paper, we explore how #sustainability challenges can be tackled through an #evolutionary perspective. 🌱
What other sustainability challenges do you think could be addressed using evolutionary principles? Let us know!
📖 Read the full paper here: bit.ly/3ZL6ND0

Excited to share our new paper published with
@springernature.bsky.social
in Evo Edu Outreach!
🌍 "Evolutionary literacy as a catalyst for sustainable futures" explores how teaching biological #evolution can strengthen #sustainability education.
🔗 Read it here: bit.ly/3ZL6ND0

In this paper, we explore how #sustainability challenges can be tackled through an #evolutionary perspective. 🌱
What other sustainability challenges do you think could be addressed using evolutionary principles? Let us know!
📖 Read the full paper here: bit.ly/3ZL6ND0