BOONE, N.C. — Do you know your Darwin Number? If you've met Appalachian State University professor Dr. Steve Hageman, you're one of few with a Darwin Number of 4.
A "Darwin Number" is an individual's degree of separation from Charles Darwin through personal encounters with Darwin or people who have met him, similar to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Each successive number represents a meeting between that person and the person with the previous Darwin Number. Dr. Hageman, a professor of geology in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences (GES), has a Darwin Number of 3, a rare phenomenon in the twenty-first century.
"Anyone who knows or has met Steve therefore has a Darwin Number of 4. That includes all of us in GES and all of Steve's students throughout his entire career," explained GES department chair Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce. Hageman likes to share this information to celebrate International Darwin Day every February 12th. This birthdate, down to the same exact day, is shared by Abraham Lincoln, who had an honorary Darwin Number of 1 as a result of the multiple letters he exchanged with Darwin.
According to Hageman, to formally claim and pass on one’s Darwin Number, the holder must be able to share the names of their connections. Hageman shared that his Darwin Number comes from Edwin "Ned" Colbert (1905-2001), a prominent vertebrate paleontologist and a fellow graduate of Maryville High School in Maryville, Missouri, who had a Darwin Number of just 2. Ned Colbert could trace his Darwin Number through his mentor Henry Fairfield Osbourne, the scientist originally named and described dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor, and who personally knew Charles Darwin.
Hageman's Darwin Number is just one of the many things that makes him a special part of GES, according to his colleagues. Hageman joined the department in 1998, following research positions at the University of South Australia and Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. His research explores patterns and processes of evolution, including the interaction of colonial growth habits of tiny invertebrates called bryozoans and their environments.
Hageman is a former distinguished lecturer for the Paleontological Society, a former editor of the Journal of Paleontology and an elected Fellow of The Geological Society of America — one of the highest honors in the profession based on a sustained record of distinguished contributions in research, teaching, administration of geological programs and other contributions.
He has also served as a Fulbright Research Fellow twice, at the Rudjer Boskovic Institute's Center for Marine Research in Rovinj, Croatia, in 2006, and at the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot, Poland, in 2018.
Hageman teaches a wide range of geology courses, including “Careers in Earth and Environmental Science”, “Geology Field Methods,” “Principles of Paleontology” and “Introduction to Historical Geology,” a general education course that he has taught for over two decades. His courses embrace visual and interactive learning, and many have a fieldwork component. According to Liutkus-Pierce, Hageman's courses are highly-regarded by students, with many alumni reporting that his courses made the biggest impact on their careers.
Hageman’s courses also support App State's Pathways to Resilience Quality Enhancement Plan by documenting changes in ancient environments through geologic time. According to Hageman, much knowledge is essential to understanding natural climate change as the baseline over which anthropogenic change is being expressed. This includes the causes and consequences of mass extinctions. He is fond of saying, “You can’t know where you are going, unless you know where you have been.”
“He strongly feels that this department and its faculty are in a perfect position to train the next generation of climate-responsible citizens,” said Liutkus-Pierce.
For his exemplary scholarship and teaching, Hageman has been recognized with the College of Arts and Sciences' William C. Strickland Outstanding Junior Faculty Award and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ Appalachian State University College Teaching Award. Additionally, he has served as the department's Transfer Student Mentor since 2017 and received the University College's Transfer Student Champion Award in 2019.
Dr. Steve Hageman, center, on the deck of the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Science’s research vessel in spring 2018, examining invertebrate organisms dredged from the seafloor with paleontology students from Appalachian State University. Hageman and the team were along the North Carolina coast near Atlantic Beach and Morehead City. Photo submitted
“I have chosen to spend my career at Appalachian State because the institution, department and setting fosters and supports my identity as a teacher-scholar,” shared Hageman.
This year, Hageman is leading efforts to plan a celebration and create a special newsletter for the department's 50th Anniversary. He also established the Hageman Fund for Visiting Speakers in Earth and Life Sciences so that GES can continue to bring leading experts to campus for the department's weekly seminar series. To give to the fund, visit givenow.appstate.edu/casges and search for the name.
“In his 27+ years at Appalachian State University, Steve has been a tireless advocate for this department, his colleagues, and his students,” said Liutkus-Pierce. “He is a distinguished educator who consistently finds ways to connect with his students (e.g., his Darwin Number!) and make each semester better than the last.”
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About the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Located in Western North Carolina, Appalachian State University provides the perfect setting to study geological and environmental sciences. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides students with a solid foundation on which to prepare for graduate school or build successful careers as scientists, consultants and secondary education teachers. The department offers six degree options in geology and two degree options in environmental science. Learn more at earth.appstate.edu.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at cas.appstate.edu.
Written by Lauren Gibbs
Edited by Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce and Dr. Steve Hageman
January 29, 2025
BOONE, N.C.
Dr. Steven J. Hageman is a professor of geology in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. Photo by Marie Freeman
Dr. Steven J. Hageman is a professor of geology in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. Photo by Marie Freeman