This Monday, April 16, two extraordinary people will be speaking at Penn State’s University Park campus. Both programs are free and they’re even within easy walking distance of each other!
E.O. Wilson: biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist, author, and man who shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, has just released a book entitled “The Social Conquest of Earth,” and is knee-deep in building the Encyclopedia of Life, a freely-accessible, collaborative online bio-encyclopedia. He’s helped define the concepts of sociobiology (he loves ants!) and biophilia. In short, he’s a man with big ideas who you should not miss when he comes to town. E.O. Wilson will be speaking at 5:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas on April 16. More details are available here. Joan Maloof, writer and general lover of ecological studies, is the founder of the Old-Growth Forest Network, and author of “Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest,” which won an Honorable Mention from the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. Her latest book is called “Among the Ancients.” Joan will also be making an appearance at Penn State to speak about her advocacy for these fantastic forests. Joan’s talk, “Earth’s Beautiful Forests: Can There Be a Happy Ending?” will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Room 8 of Mueller Lab – also on April 16. Here we have two exceptional environmental leaders, both speaking at University Park on the very same day! Choose one, choose both, but don’t miss out. ~ Justin “Rutabaga” Raymond, Spring Intern 2012