Media Contacts:
Dr. Fred Gould, 919/515-1647
Dee Shore, CALS Communication Services, 919/513-3117

Dec. 19, 2003

Eminent Scientist E.O. Wilson to Lecture at NC State, UNC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Edward O. Wilson, one of the world’s most renowned scientists and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, will deliver two lectures in the Triangle in January.

Named one of Time magazine’s 25 most influential people in America, Wilson is often called the father of biodiversity. A faculty member at Harvard University, Wilson won Pulitzer Prizes for his books “On Human Nature” and “The Ants.” He has made major contributions to several areas of science, including entomology, the understanding of ecosystems, the importance of biological diversity, and the effect of evolution and natural selection on human nature.

Wilson will deliver the inaugural R.L. Rabb Environmental Science Lecture at North Carolina State University. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Jane S. McKimmon Center at the corner of Gorman Street and Western Boulevard in Raleigh.

Honoring one of NC State’s most influential scientists, the R.L. Rabb Environmental Science Lecture series is intended to raise the level of appreciation among scientists and others about the interdependencies among all forms of life.

Rabb, a professor emeritus in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Entomology, “was a visionary and pioneer in developing ecologically sound approaches to managing insect pests well before Rachel Carson raised public awareness of the need for such approaches,” said Dr. Fred Gould, William Neal Reynolds professor of entomology at NC State.

At 8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, Morehead Planetarium at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill will host Wilson’s free public lecture “The Future of Life” at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. To reserve a seat, call 919/962-1236 or e-mail mhplanet@unc.edu. E-mail requests should include the names of all those who wish to attend the lecture.

- shore -