R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar

“Natural History’s Place in Science and Society.”

Speaker: Josh Tewksbury

We are living in a rapidly changing, increasingly resource limited world starving for answers to complex questions. In that context, the revitalization of natural history is critical, and a head to toe makeover of what it means to be a naturalist is also essential. Tewksbury believes a successful vision of natural history in the Anthropocene must have at least three elements: 1) an open embrace of change, technology and the concept of the cyborg naturalist, 2) a determination to stitch together the very best naturalist traditions of the past with the urgency of the present, and 3) an unwavering commitment to rapid, radical diversification of those who identify themselves as naturalists, and the images we use to define the field, and he provides some examples.

*Co-sponsored by the 21st Century Naturalist Project, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh’s UPCLOSE program, funded by the Spencer Foundation.