Carl Zimmer: AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award Lecture

Carl Zimmer is a columnist for The New York Times, national correspondent for STAT, and three-time winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Kavli Science Journalism Award. He has written 13 books about biology and medicine and hundreds of features for magazines such as The Atlantic, National Geographic and Scientific American. As one interviewer wrote of Zimmer, “Unlike his literary icon, Herman Melville, he doesn’t adorn his writing with ornate flourishes or complicated scaffolding. His approach is simple, elegant and potent, much like the microscopic lifeforms he so often examines. And, like these microorganisms, he is a marvel of adaptability and innovation.
The AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award lecture series brings winners of the distinguished journalism award to campuses for public lectures and workshops with journalism students. Zimmer won the AAAS Kavli Award twice in the large newspaper category (2012 and 2009) and once in the online category (2004).
Abstract: Are humans causing the planet to get hotter? Do vaccines cause autism? Did our species evolve 300,000 years ago? Scientists have answered these questions (yes, no, yes), yet these subjects and many others are now fiercely contested, in some cases by government officials. This talk will explore the current state of science reporting, including some hopeful innovations that may bring more understanding to the public about how the world works.
This Provost’s Lecture, co-sponsored by the School of Journalism, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science and The Kavli Foundation, will be held on Thursday, October 12, at 4 pm the Wang Center Theater.
Add comment