This year's Iscol Lecture will feature Peter Matthiessen, two-time National Book Award-winning novelist, non-fiction writer and environmental activist.

In the late 1950s, Mr. Matthiessen published the first edition of Wildlife in America, a history of the extinction and endangerment of various animal and bird species at the hands of the human settlements that occurred throughout North American history, as well as historical efforts at endangered species protection. It was one of the first books to call attention to global warming, by mentioning how the polar ice cap formations caused the lowering of the seas, and how the isthmus that Mongoloid people crossed from Asia to present-day Alaska to establish North America's first settlement is now submerged by the Bering Strait. Since that time, Mr. Matthiessen has written more than 30 books focusing on his personal travels, wildlife and the environment, and Native American issues and history.

ABOUT THE ISCOL LECTURE

The Jill and Ken Iscol Lecture brings prominent scholars, newsmakers, scientists, and leaders to Cornell to address environmental issues of paramount importance to humankind.

Recognizing scholarship on the frontiers of scientific inquiry, the Iscol Lecture provides opportunities for Cornell students, faculty, staff, and the public to gain new knowledge about pressing environmental issues.

A faculty award committee, representing a cross-section of academic disciplines, annually selects the Jill and Ken Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecturer.