Science lovers will not want to miss this talk by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Science Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert on her book The Sixth Extinction.

Kolbert’s book is a rare, perspective-shifting mashup of geology, history, and biology that allows us to see the role of Homo sapiens – over hundreds of thousands of years – in the current mass extinction event. Humanity’s exceptional ability to adapt, find new resources, and modify our environment has resulted in the acceleration of natural cycles of change, and brought about multiple significant global changes on a scale unprecedented in planetary history. It’s a fascinating read. It is exactly this kind of jarring re-imagining of ourselves that can enable us to use these wonderful creative brains of ours to inspire and enact change in the future.

In an interview with USA News, Kolbert said,

“Actually, what we need now isn’t hope. What we need is courage. The issue is whether or not we’re going to do anything at all. Or, are we going to rise to a very enormous challenge,” she said. “I talk to college students the same way I talk to their parents and grandparents. This is the world you’re inheriting. Unfortunately, you guys are going to have to deal with the consequences, and the consequences are cumulative. I tell them they should be pretty annoyed, and they should make some noise.”

The talk will be held at the University of South Alabama on April 4, 2018 at 7:00pm at the Student Center Ballroom. A book signing and reception will follow. The talk is sponsored by the Stokes Center for Creative Writing, the English Department, the Biology Department, Phi Kappa Phi, and The Sustainability Committee.