World-renowned Scientists Dr. James Watson & Dr. Edward O. Wilson Together
At Fairfield University Aug. 16 for “Minds of Science - A Conversation for the New Century”;
Historic Event Presented/Moderated by Phil Donahue
for Connecticut Audubon Society
Nobel Prize winner Dr. James Watson and Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Edward O. Wilson
engage in conversation and observations on science and humanity in today’s world.
Event is being taped for future broadcast with an invited audience
of Connecticut Audubon Society Members and Supporters.
FREE Tickets are available to the public: first-come, first-served.
Fairfield, CT, August 2, 2007 – Dr. Edward O. Wilson and Dr. James Watson, two of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th and 21st centuries, will make a rare joint appearance on Thursday, August 16, 2007, in Fairfield, CT. This historic “Minds of Science” event is free, and is being presented and moderated by Phil Donahue -- TV pioneer, journalist, author, filmmaker, and long-time supporter of Connecticut Audubon Society – as a “thank you” gift to an invited audience of Connecticut Audubon Society members, supporters and friends. Additional tickets will be made available to the public.
This extraordinary event is being held at Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, beginning Thursday, August 16 at 6 p.m. with an hors d’oeuvres opening reception and including a post-event coffee-and-dessert closing reception. A portion of the Center’s 700 seats are reserved for Connecticut Audubon Society donors and friends. Due to public interest, seats have also been made available for those interested. Any member of the public who wants to attend should call Fairfield University’s Quick Center box office directly to reserve seats: 203-254-4010 or 877-ARTS396. The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the Fairfield University campus at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, CT.
Dr. James Watson and his partner Francis Crick made a momentous discovery in 1953: they had determined the chemical structure of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule of which all living matter is made. Called the “double helix” or "gently twisted ladder" because of its shape, the two chains of DNA unlink like a zipper and reproduce their missing halves. In this way, each molecule of DNA is able to create two identical copies of itself. Their published findings created a world-wide sensation and in 1962 James Watson and Francis Crick shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Maurice Wilkins. Watson and Crick’s discovery has revolutionized the study of biology and genetics, making possible the recombinant DNA techniques used by today's biotechnology industry. In 1968, Dr. Watson published his account of the DNA discovery, The Double Helix, which became an international best-seller. Since 2003 Dr. Watson has been chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, a private non-profit institution conducting research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant genetics, genomics and bio-informatics; he also served as its director (1968-1994) and president (1994-2003). Scientists working under Dr. Watson at Cold Spring Harbor uncovered the molecular nature of cancer and identified cancer genes for the first time. Every year over 4,000 scientists from around the world come to Cold Spring Harbor to study; the Institute's influence over international genetic research is profound. See also: www.cshl.edu/public/SCIENCE/jdw.html
Dr. Edward O. Wilson is the author of two Pulitzer Prize-winning books, On Human Nature (1978), and The Ants (1990, written with fellow entomologist Bert Hölldobler). In Dr. Wilson’s most recent book, The Future of Life, he describes the precarious state of our environment, the mass extinctions that are occurring today, and the natural treasures that are about to be lost forever. An optimist about the future, Dr. Wilson also carefully outlines a specific plan to save our planet that is as economically sound as it is environmentally necessary. Dr. Wilson is a recipient of countless honors and awards in science and conservation, including the National Medal of Science (1976); the International Prize for Biology (1993); the Gold Medal of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (1990); the Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association (1999), and the Swedish Academy of Science’s Crafood Prize (ecology’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize, 1990). Dr. Wilson is a Pellegrino University Professor, Emeritus and Honorary Curator of Entomology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. See also: www.thelavinagency.com/college/edwardowilson.html and www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/naturalconnections/edward_wilson_bio.htm
Phil Donahue has used the television talk show format he pioneered to interview world leaders, celebrities, newsmakers, and people from all walks of life. The format he introduced in 1967 as “The Phil Donahue Show” on WLWD-TV in Dayton, Ohio, launched the first audience participation television talk show and changed the face of American daytime television. During its 29-year run, DONAHUE examined human behavior, focused national debate on political and social issues, and provided a democratic forum for presidential candidates. What began as a local television program made DONAHUE a household word and an American institution. The show received 20 Emmy Awards (including 9 for Outstanding Host). Among many other awards and honors, Phil Donahue received a George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Journalism Award, and in 1993 he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. Currently he is producing a documentary film about one young American soldier’s experiences in Iraq.
Phil Donahue, a resident of Connecticut and New York City, is also an impassioned nature enthusiast and bird lover, and a longtime supporter of Connecticut Audubon Society. (A large Purple Martin colony shares his backyard in Connecticut, and every June their return to Connecticut to nest and fledge their chicks is viewed by tens of thousands of visitors to www.gazebophil.com, a webcam that provides 24/7 live coverage of the triumphs and travails of a typical Purple Martin family.) Since 2000, Phil Donahue has also served as Honorary Chairman of Connecticut Audubon Society’s Annual Eagle Festival™, which in 2007 drew 20,000 visitors to Essex, CT over President’s Day Weekend to learn about the Bald Eagle, its near extinction and remarkable comeback, and to see first-hand these magnificent birds in their natural habitat along the Connecticut River.
About Connecticut Audubon Society: Founded in 1898 by pioneering conservationist Mabel Osgood Wright (a schoolmate of Theodore Roosevelt), Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) conserves Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and habitats. CAS operates the historic Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield (declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993, it is the first private songbird sanctuary in the U.S.) and 4 other Nature Centers in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury and Pomfret; all offer year-round educational and environmental programs and special events for children, families and adults. CAS also operates an EcoTravel office in Essex; manages 19 Wildlife Sanctuaries statewide (most are accessible to the public) comprising 2,600 acres, and educates 200,000 children and adults annually. In 2007, 20,000 people attended Connecticut Audubon Society's 8th Annual Eagle Festival™, held every President's Day Weekend in Essex, CT. Beginning in 2006, CAS has published “Connecticut State of the Birds,” a groundbreaking report about the health of the state’s native bird populations and habitats, major threats to their well-being, and the implications for the larger environment that sustains us all, including recommendations for how we can conserve and protect our treasured natural resources. Working exclusively in the state of Connecticut for over 100 years, Connecticut Audubon Society is an independent organization, not affiliated with any national or governmental group. Web site: www.ctaudubon.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
For Phil Donahue: Jill DeVincens, 212-564-3234, Donahue12@AOL.com
For Connecticut Audubon Society: Mara Neville, 203-913-5885 (cell), mneville@ctaudubon.org (off Fridays);
| Milan Bull, 203-610-5097 (cell), mbull@ctaudubon.org;
Ann O’Leary, aoleary@ctaudubon.org.