| Chris Smith | |
| Birth Name: | Christopher Irwin Smith |
| Occupation: | Associate Professor of Biology; Department Chair |
| Known For: | Study of yucca moths and yucca trees |
| Notable Works: | 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 received a grant for his work studying the relationship between yucca moths and yucca trees.
In 2013, Smith received a National Science Foundation CAREER award of $850,000[1] for his work studying the co-evolution of yucca trees and their pollinators, yucca moths.[2] He had the distinction of being the university's first faculty member to receive a CAREER award.[3]
With Emily Drew, Smith also teaches the interdisciplinary course "Race, Racism, and Human Genetics",[4] [5] which examines how scientific endeavors had been affected by racial outlooks. The course originated from a discussion Smith and Drew had on the topic in 2012.[6]
Smith has studied the northward migration of yucca and joshua trees, and the possible hybridization of the Eastern and Western varieties, either of which may be related to climate change.[7] [8]
Smith is an advocate for the dismantling of racist pseudoscientific beliefs.[9] On October 8, 2012, he and fellow Willamette associate professor Emily Drew, an anti-racism workshop facilitator, led a discussion on the misrepresentation of race and racial differences, presented at the Bagdad Theater and Pub in Portland, Oregon.[10] [11]