Legendary Biologist, Pulitzer Winner E.O. Wilson to Speak at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. E.O. Wilson, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who is widely considered one of the world’s most influential scientists, will give two public talks March 30 on The University of Alabama campus.    

Wilson, a UA alumnus, will present the Blount Undergraduate Initiative 10^th Anniversary Lecture and Colloquium, part of a year-long celebration honoring the anniversary of the founding of the program. The Initiative is a privately supported liberal arts program in the College of Arts and Sciences.    

Both the lecture and colloquium are free and open to the public, and Wilson will sign books at both events.    

Wilson, a native of Birmingham, earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biology from the UA College of Arts and Sciences (1949, 1950). He received his doctorate from Harvard University, and he taught there for more than 40 years. He now lives in Lexington, Mass.    

He is the author of more than 20 nonfiction books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Ants” and “The Naturalist.”    

The colloquium, titled “Consilience Twelve Years Later,” is scheduled from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in UA’s Morgan Auditorium. This event will focus on Wilson’s 1998 book, “Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge,” which generated much debate in academic circles when it was published because of its argument to bring together the sciences, humanities and the arts into a broad study of human knowledge. The colloquium will examine the progress of that debate over the last decade.    

In addition to Wilson, three philosophers will give presentations at the colloquium.    

Dr. Richard Richards, an associate professor in UA’s department of philosophy will speak on “The Idea of Consilience.” Dr. Michael Ruse, a nationally recognized expert on Darwinism, will speak on “Wilson and Progress: From Science through Philosophy to Religion.” Dr. Jim Otteson, a former chair of UA’s department of philosophy who is currently a joint professor of philosophy and economics at Yeshiva University in New York, will speak on “Wilson’s Scottish Enlightenment.”    

Later the same evening, Wilson will give a public lecture, on “Biodiversity and the Future,” at 7 p.m. in the Bryant Conference Center’s Sellers Auditorium on the UA campus.    

“Not only is he a UA graduate, but he’s probably one of the most honored, recognized and accomplished graduates of the department of biological sciences and of the College of Arts and Sciences as a whole,” said Dr. Joseph Hornsby, director of the Blount Initiative. “We depend on his writings heavily in the Blount curriculum, so this is a great opportunity for students to get a chance to ask questions and hear answers from the man himself.”    

Wilson is now, at the age of 80, about to debut his first novel, “Anthill,” which will be released April 5. In the novel, Wilson digs deep into the memories of his childhood on Alabama’s Gulf Coast and his life’s dedication to conservation and advocacy to tell the coming-of-age story of Raff Cody, an Alabama boy who heroically tries to save a sacred forest.    

Wilson’s scientific career began in entomology – the study of insects. His lifelong passion for studying ants in particular has made him the definitive expert on the tiny creatures and on the social structures of all animals. Wilson is considered the founder of the theory of sociobiology, which proposes that human and animal behavior is shaped by evolutionary forces, and its offshoot, evolutionary psychology. He also has developed the base of modern biodiversity conservation.    

Wilson has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. He is a recipient of the U.S. National Medal of Science, and in 1995 he was named one of Time magazine’s 25 most influential people in America.    

Wilson also will visit with students and faculty from the department of biological sciences and the Blount Initiative, as well as UA administrators.    

Wilson’s visit is made possible, in large part, by the following funds: The Oliver Endowed Support Fund, the R.C. McMillan Endowed Undergraduate Initiative Lectureship and the Consolidated Pipe and Supply Company Inc. Endowed Lectureship.    

The Blount Undergraduate Initiative is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.