2009 marked the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth (February 12) and the 150th anniversary (in November) of the publication of Darwin's "extended abstract" "On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection." Universities, scientific societies, and disciplinary journals anticipated this event by organizing meetings, theme sessions, and special issues to commemorate the anniversary. The bicentennial provided an occasion to reflect on the impact Darwin's work. In this commentary the author offers a vision for how geoscientists and geoscience educators can respond to this opportunity.