April 23, 2021

Colloquium Topic: THE BIRD WAY: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ackerman will offer a multimedia presentation on her latest book about birds, The Bird Way.  The talk explores a kaleidoscope of fascinating behaviors in the bird world through the lens of five daily activities—communication, work, play, courting, and parenting--and describes some of the extraordinary ways that birds do these things and the sophisticated intelligence underlying their behaviors.  The presentation ranges from the tropical rainforests of eastern Australia and the remote woodlands of northern Japan, to the rolling hills of lower Austria and the islands of Alaska’s Kachemak Bay, and includes audio, video, and spectacular photos of the birds by professional photographers and sound recording specialists. 

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Colloquium Speaker: Jennifer Ackerman

Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about nature and science for more than three decades.  Her most recent book, The Bird Way, is described by reviewers as "splendid and spellbinding," "exhilarating", "an enthralling study of the avian world." The book was recently named a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and was selected as an Editor's Choice by the New York Times, a Best Science Book of 2020 by National Public Radio's Science Friday show, and a Nature Book of the Year by The London Sunday Times.  Her previous book, The Genius of Birds, was a New York Times bestseller and has been published in 25 languages.  

Jennifer has also published books on genetics, the human body, and human health and has contributed articles and essays to National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, Natural History Magazine, and many other publications.  She is the recipient of a Literature Fellowship in Nonfiction from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Bunting Institute fellowship from Radcliffe College, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.