Biodiversity and the Future

Internationally known biologist and naturalist Dr. Edward O. Wilson returns to his alma mater to deliver the 10th Anniversary Blount Undergraduate Initiative Lecture on “Biodiversity and the Future” at The University of Alabama. He is the author of more than 20 nonfiction books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Ants” and “The Naturalist.” He is introduced by Kay Blount Pace, daughter of the late Winton Blount, a U.S. Postmaster and industrialist who established the Blount Undergraduate Initiative in 1999 with a $7 million gift. 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.