Alex Farragut, 6, left, looks at a interactive kiosk, as her aunt, Holly LaPorte, watches her at the “Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics” exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia June 17. The 80th anniversary of the Mendel Medal, which is given by Villanova University to recognize the compatibility scientific accomplishment and religious conviction is being marked in 2008. Villanova, a Catholic university, has declared the upcoming school year to be “Year of Mendel” and is sponsoring a traveling exhibit on the genetics pioneer at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. AP?Photo

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – As a 19th-century Augustinian friar, Gregor Mendel was expected to pursue his groundbreaking genetics research with the same passion he reserved for his religious studies. Combining those disciplines isn’t popular today. Villanova University, an Augustinian Roman Catholic college, is trying to change that by highlighting Mendel’s work. The school will declare the ‘‘Year of Mendel’’ starting this fall and is sponsoring an exhibit on his work at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The effort complements an award Villanova has given since 1928, the Mendel Medal, to scientists who balance religious conviction and scientific progress. ‘‘Saint Augustine talked about the pursuit of ... knowledge and truth,’’ said the Rev. Kail Ellis, dean of Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. ‘‘Certainly the sciences (are) a key part of our knowledge and our ability to function in the world.’’ This year’s medal recipient, the Rev. George V.