Have you ever sung karaoke with a Drosophila fruit-fly?

Beginning Jan. 14, students and the public will have just that opportunity.

Fruit-fly karaoke, open to the public at the University's Exhibit Museum of Natural History, is part of LSA's 2006 winter theme semester, "Explore Evolution."

With several exhibits, Saturday morning physics lectures, a speaker and film series and 79 themed undergraduate courses, Amy Harris, chair of the semester's steering committee, hopes to increase understanding of evolutionary principles from multiple perspectives.

"We've discovered that presenting information (in a theme) enriches the experience with different points of view and deepens visitors' understanding of the subject," said Harris, who is also the museum's director.

Evans Young, assistant dean for undergraduate education, says that the varied format of events will help the semester reach more people.

But above all, the focus of the semester is on the curriculum, Young said.

"Often it gets lost in the glitz, but the core is the courses in the theme," he said.

Of the theme courses offered, most are based in anthropology and the natural sciences.

Steering committee member Deborah Goldberg, chair of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, was amazed to discover the prevalence of evolutionary themes in the existing curriculum.

"What was so impressive to us was how many courses had a strong evolutionary content," she said. "There is more overlap in research and interest (across departments) than I imagined."

LSA Dean Terrence McDonald and a faculty committee chose the topic of evolution based on a proposal Harris submitted in 2003.

The debate over "intelligent design" will be addressed throughout the semester, but the University says it will staunchly follow scientific findings.

A symposium about the origins of life on Jan. 20 will focus on scientific reasoning and set the tone for the rest of the semester, Goldberg said.

Along with serenading flies, the museum exhibit will examine six case studies in evolution, including the work of University paleontologist Philip Gingerich and his research on the evolution of whales from four-legged animals.

The exhibit is one of six on display across the country, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, to educate the public about the scientific reasoning of evolution.

In its rotunda, the museum will also feature an original display, "Evolution in Action," that highlights practical evolutionary applications in areas including forensic investigations, and public heath.

Theme semesters were introduced to the University in 1980, but under McDonald they have been included more frequently, Young said.

Next year's year-long theme will be "The Theory and Practice of Citizenship: From the Local to the Global."

Past semesters include last fall's "100 Years Beyond Einstein" and winter 2005's "Cultural Treasures of the Middle East."