Jodi Solomon Speakers: Science & Environmental Programs

Science Programs

Environmental Speakers Science Speakers

Environmental Speakers

SANDRA STEINGRABER Ecologist, poet and cancer survivor, Dr. Sandra Steingraber is recognized internationally as an expert on environmental links to cancer. Her highly acclaimed book, Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment, is a personal and scientific exploration of how toxic chemicals contribute to rising cancer rates in various communities, and won her praise as “the new Rachel Carson”. Dr. Steingraber offers insights into green architecture, campus sustainability, and the future of food in a world short of oil. http://www.steingraber.com View a video clip of this speaker. More on this speaker. (PDF 128K) EUGENE LINDEN Endangered animals, the biodiversity crisis, threats to water supplies, global deforestation, and the politics of the environment are just some of the issues Linden tackles in his research and writing. His new book Winds of Change shows how civilizations become prosperous and complacent during good weather, only to collapse as a result of drastic climate changes and their consequences. PAUL WATSON Founder of Greenpeace, Paul Watson currently heads The Sea Shepherd Society, an organization dedicated to preventing the illegal slaughter of whales, dolphins and other endangered sea life. Watson is renowned for such controversial methods as tree spiking and sinking commercial fishing vessels in his battle to protect the environment. http://www.seashepherd.org More on this speaker. (PDF 848K) BOB REISS For the last 19 years, there's been an unprecedented international effort among thousands of scientists to pinpoint the role global warming plays in causing extreme weather around the world. Noted author Bob Reiss has traveled the globe talking to heads of state, scientists, and victims to get at the truth. From the back rooms of the White House to the US coasts to the slums of India, The Coming Storm: Extreme Weather and Our Terrifying Future gives both sides of the debate, proposes solutions, and gives dire warnings of what the world will be like if global warming is not reversed http://www.bobreiss.com ADAM WERBACH Adam Werbach stunned the environmental establishment when he became the national president of the Sierra Club in the year after he graduated college. Now he’s launching a take-no-prisoners challenge of the environmental movement in a meticulously researched program that will change the way you think about American politics.		edith widder What beauty can be found at the ocean's greatest depths? And how can we protect it? Biologist and deep-sea explorer Edith Widder combines her expertise in research and technological innovation with a commitment to reversing the worldwide trend of degradation in our marine environment. Her presentation gives a breathtaking view of the world beneath the surface of the seas. WARREN FAIDLEY Imagine if your job required you to stand in the winds of a Category 5 hurricane. That's just one of the adventures of the world's first full-time professional storm chaser, who regularly risks his life to capture some of the most breathtaking images of extreme weather. Warren's first-hand experiences of outwitting storms have made him one of the most sought-after experts on storm chasing and storm survival. http://www.stormchaser.com View a video clip of this speaker. MARGARET LOWMAN Involved in long-term studies of rainforest regeneration, Margaret Lowman has developed canopy techniques, including ropes, walkways, hot air balloons, construction cranes, and combinations of these methods. She frequently speaks about her jungle adventures and about rainforest conservation to educational groups. She continues to travel worldwide to “map the canopy for biodiversity”, and to work on conservation. More on this speaker. (PDF 264K) DR. ROBERT BULLARD Leading the battle for environmental justice, from dealing with the toxic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to curbing urban sprawl, Dr. Bullard tells the stories of frontline warriors who are fighting environmental and human rights abuses. His research and activism challenges government and industry policies that place people of color and the poor at special risk. He is the author of 14 books, including Growing Smarter: Achieving Livable Communities, Environmental Justice, and Regional Equity and The Black Metropolis in the Twenty-First Century: Race, Power, and the Politics of Place, which were released in 2007. http://www.ejrc.cau.edu More on this speaker. (PDF 828K) daniel katz Founder of the Rainforest Alliance, and President of Just Change, which helps individuals and nonprofit organizations make strategic social and environmental change. Katz outlines specific ways that leaders in schools and communities can make an impact.
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Science Speakers
NEIL deGRASSE TYSON As Director of the Hayden Planetarium and the new host of the PBS magazine "NOVA Science NOW", Dr. Tyson is one of the most high profile astrophysicists in America. He hopes to use the state-of-the-art Hayden to capture the scientific curiosity of a new generation of young people. His recent books include One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos, Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, and Origins, the companion book to his acclaimed four-hour miniseries on the PBS program "NOVA." http://research.amnh.org/users/tyson View a video clip of this speaker. DR. ROBERT BALLARD Dr. Ballard is best known for his discovery of the legendary sunken ocean liner Titanic. His explorations of the world’s oceans have uncovered scores of important archeological and scientific discoveries, as well as inspiring technological innovations in deep sea diving and robotics. Ballard is founder and president of the Institute For Exploration at the Mystic Aquarium. ROBERT KIRSHNER Just what is the size and shape of the Universe, and how fast do galaxies move? Astronomer Robert Kirshner, author of The Extravagant Universe, answers these and other cosmological questions in a compelling style with amusing personal stories that make this otherwise daunting field accessible and entertaining. He was recently featured in the highly acclaimed PBS NOVA series “Origins”. STEVEN STROGATZ From fireflies flashing in unison to the rhythmic applause of hundreds of strangers in a movie theater, Steven Strogatz - author of Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order - explains how our supposedly random everyday lives are in fact filled with synchrony and harmony. ROALD HOFFMANN Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann is a superb teacher, lecturer and writer who has done much to convey the importance of chemistry to the general public. He helped prepare and narrate the PBS series “The World of Chemistry” and is a frequent columnist for American Scientist. His books include Chemistry Imagined, a unique combination of art, science and literature, and Old Wine, New Flasks: Reflections on Science and Jewish Tradition. V. S. RAMACHANDRAN Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran has been called a "Sherlock Holmes of neuroscience." Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition and featured on the NOVA program "Mysteries of the Brain", he has brilliantly sleuthed his way through some of the strangest maladies of the human mind by marrying simple tools such as mirrors and cotton swabs with an insatiably inquisitive mind and a tonic sense of humor.		CHANDLER BURR A lucid and provocative writer and speaker, Chandler Burr is an expert on the mysteries of perfume and the little-understood sense of smell. In his book The Emperor of Scent, he tells the amazing story of a real-life genius of aromas, engaging the reader in the science and art of how perfumes are made, and the secretive industry that makes them. Burr's "Scent Strip" column in T: The New York Times Style Magazine makes him the world's first and only regular perfume critic. View a Video of this speaker. DR. GARY TELGENHOFF A consultant for the hit television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, “Dr. T.” is a forensic pathologist and Deputy Medical Examiner in Las Vegas. His multi-media presentation shows how he uses scientific tools to solve criminal and medical mysteries in real life. More on this speaker. (PDF 348K) http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi/main.shtml DONALD JOHANSON Leading paleontologist Donald Johanson is the discoverer of “Lucy”, one of the earliest human ancestors ever unearthed. His years of research in Africa have brought us closer than ever to the origins of the human race. “Understanding who we are is not just a matter of curiosity,” Johanson asserts, “it is a matter of survival for our own species and for the millions of others with whom we share the earth.” B. GENTRY LEE Are we alone in the universe? Could there be life on Mars – past, present or future? What will the history of the 21st century look like? Author and futurist B. Gentry Lee explores these questions and more with audiences all over the world. He is a consultant for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as the author of books such as Cradle, Rama II and The Garden of Rama. FREDERICK LANE If personal privacy is something we truly value, how do we find a balance with the role of emerging technologies? Attorney and technology expert Lane takes a hard look at the rapid evolving laws governing computers, privacy and free speech, at home, in school and in the workplace. Look for his recent books, The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture and The Court and the Cross: The Religious Right's Crusade to Reshape the Supreme Court. http://www.FrederickLane.com GREGORY PENCE Now that scientists have cloned animals, should we try cloning humans? Gregory Pence aggressively defends all cloning research, from embryonic stem cells to cloned babies. He also defends genetically modified food, artificial wombs, and transgenic animals. His books include Who's Afraid of Human Cloning?, Cloning After Dolly: Who's STILL Afraid? and Designer Food. PHILIP J. HILTS The US may have one of the best medical systems in the world, but pandemics do not recognize national borders. The next epidemic might arrive with a returning vacationer or exchange student. Philip Hilts, in his book Rx for Survival, shows how vulnerable we are to the devastating effect of infectious diseases brewing in developing nations, and what we must do to create a healthier world. More on this speaker. (PDF 1.5 MB)