Time magazine's Hero for the Planet to speak at Chenery Auditorium

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—An explorer in residence at the National Geographic Society and leader of the NGS Sustainable Seas Expeditions is the next speaker in the Western Michigan University Center for the Humanities' Science and the Human Endeavor Speaker Series.

Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, in Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave. Her presentation is titled "Exploring the Deep Frontier" and is free and open to the public.

In her presentation, Earle will explore how more has been learned about the nature of the ocean in the past century than all preceding human history. Yet more has been lost owing to the growing impact people are having on the sea due to global warming, sea level rise, ocean acidification and other troubling trends. Earle will address new technologies and the need for more exploration and study to understand what is happening and its present and future consequences.

Sylvia Earle

A graduate of St. Petersburg College and Florida State University, Earle holds master's and doctoral degrees from Duke University and 19 honorary doctorates. She was named Time magazine's first Hero for the Planet and a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.

In addition to her NGS activities, Earle is council chair for the Harte Research Institute, founder of the Deep Search Foundation and formerly the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She is the founder of three companies and serves on various corporate and nonprofit boards. She has authored 175 publications, led more than 100 expeditions, lectured in more than 70 countries and has more than 100 national and international awards.

About the series

The annual WMU Center for the Humanities speaker series is designed to nurture a conversation among scientists, humanists, social scientists, artists, politicians and citizens from all perspectives who live together in a changing world. For the Science and the Human Endeavor Series, the center has partnered with the WMU Lee Honors College to explore the connections between science and the humanities through the work of scientists, engineers, artists and humanists who strive to better understand a shared natural world and improve the human experience.

For more information, email the Center for the Humanities at wmu-humanities@wmich.edu or call the center at (269) 387-1811.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.