With February now in full swing, it is once again time for the annual Darwin Days Scavenger Hunt! This year’s Hunt will take place TODAY, February 14th, from 2:30 to 7 pm!
This delightful Roanoke College tradition is inspired by influential naturalist Charles Darwin, famous for his Theory of Evolution that fundamentally changed the scientific world.
The premise of the hunt is simple: teams of four compete to gather as much of a list of 100 or so items as possible in a set timeframe (usually a few hours). The items are brought to a panel of judges, and prize money is awarded by various criteria, including creativity. The list is designed to be impossible to fully complete within the time limit – teams must ‘adapt’ in order to ‘survive’ the challenge and win. This is why the hunt is also called “Survival of the Fittest” (just like Darwin’s theory!).
This will be my second year competing in the Darwin Days scavenger hunt. I had an absolute blast last year despite losing the contest, and I am hopeful that with a new team and a new vision this year, we might place among the top teams! Many other students on campus share similar positive sentiments about the Hunt. One student notes in particular that she is particularly excited for the “fierce competition” the event will bring, while another looks forward to “committing to the bit” with her friends.
To those of you not competing, I hope you reconsider next year! And to those of you who will be seeing me as a competitor… I wish you luck! May the fittest survive!
Ren Monin
Staff Reporter
