Campus Life

NPR correspondent to present 'Stories from the Seven Continents' April 5

NPR's Richard Harris has covered stories from all seven continents and is currently on leave to write a book about the troubles facing biomedical research. Credit: NPR. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — An award-winning NPR correspondent who has reported on the environment, medicine and a wide range of science-related topics from all over the world will present a free public lecture on the University Park campus in early April.

Richard Harris, a science correspondent for NPR since 1986, will present “Communicating Science — Stories from the Seven Continents” at 6:30 p.m. April 5 in Foster Auditorium of Paterno Library.

Harris has covered stories from all seven continents, including biodiversity in the Amazon, the BP oil spill from a submersible under the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, climate change in Timbuktu, ocean acidification from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and the SARS epidemic in China. He is currently on leave to write a book about the troubles facing biomedical research.

Harris has won many awards for his coverage and has served as president of the National Association of Science Writers. Harris is co-founder of the Washington, D.C., Area Science Writers Association, and is past president of the National Association of Science Writers. He serves on the board of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. 

A California native, Harris returned to the University of California-Santa Cruz in 2012, to give a commencement address at Crown College, where he had given a valedictory address at his own graduation. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the school in biology, with highest honors.

His visit is sponsored by the College of Communications and the Norman Eberly Professorship.

Last Updated June 2, 2021