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E. O. Wilson

Roles: Special Guest

E. O. Wilson hosted a lecture and book signing for the 2011 EFF.

Considered to be one of the world’s greatest living scientists, Dr. E. O. Wilson is a Harvard University professor of four decades. He has written 20 books and won many awards, including two Pulitzer prizes, and the National Medal of Science. Along the way, he has discovered hundreds of new species. A preeminent scientist and thinker, Wilson is often called the “the father of biodiversity.” When he was a child, an accident claimed the sight in Wilson’s right eye, and he lost part of his hearing. He also struggled with math and a mild form of dyslexia. But nothing could stop Wilson’s curiosity of the natural world, and he decided to focus on the tiny creatures he could pick up and bring close to his remaining good eye. He became an entomologist, studying ants and their complex social behavior. In later years he ventured into public policy, alerting policy makers and the public to the crisis of the world’s declining biodiversity.

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