Celebrating the life and work of an unsung Scottish hero
The life and work of a Scottish scientist, artist, poet and political radical, renowned in the US art and scientific communities, but little known in his native land, will be celebrated by the University of Glasgow. Alexander Wilson, born in Paisley in 1766, is a towering figure in the history of the natural sciences. Heralded as the founder of the scientific study of birds, and of biodiversity recording, he has several bird species and a scientific society, The Wilson Ornithological Society , named after him. His profile in Scotland, however, is much lower and most people who pass his statue in Paisley are likely to know next to nothing about him. Pat Monaghan, Regius Professor of Zoology at the University of Glasgow, hopes this will change with the help of an upcoming exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of Wilson's death, opening on 14 June. Prof Monaghan said: "Wilson was the first to describe birds in a scientifically accurate way. Although he had relatively little formal education, he rose to become one of the key figures in the scientific community of the United States.
