TomorrowTalks with Meg Lowman: The Arbornaut
Arizona State University welcomes tree scientist Meg Lowman as the next speaker in its TomorrowTalks series. Lowman will discuss her new book, "The Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above Us," in an online event on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. Arizona / MST (5 p.m. PST / 7 p.m. CST / 8 p.m. EST). The conversation will be facilitated by ASU's Joni Adamson, President's Professor of English and Distinguished Scholar in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory.
About the book
Nicknamed the “Real-Life Lorax” by National Geographic, biologist, botanist and conservationist Meg Lowman ― aka “CanopyMeg” ― takes us on an adventure into the “eighth continent” of the world's treetops, along her journey as a tree scientist and into climate action.
A blend of memoir and fieldwork account, “The Arbornaut” gives us the chance to live among scientists and travel the world ― even in a hot air balloon! It is the engrossing, uplifting story of a nerdy tree climber ― the only girl at the science fair ― who becomes a giant inspiration, a groundbreaking, ground-defying field biologist and a hero for trees everywhere.
About Meg Lowman
Meg Lowman’s passion for science and exploration began as a little girl and over the years has defined her life and her life’s work. She pioneered the field of forest canopy science and is considered one of the world’s first “arbornauts,” or explorers of the canopies. Over a 40-year career, she achieved groundbreaking work in 46 countries and all seven continents. Her devotion to engaging young people in the wonder and importance of science led to a collaboration with Robert Ballard of Titanic fame. She became “Canopy Meg” to her young audiences while they spoke to millions of middle school students in virtual expeditions to the canopy and the ocean floor, respectively.
Lowman champions inclusivity in science and proactive stewardship of canopy ecosystems. She trains diverse audiences about sustainability of natural resources and saves forests through her new Mission Green initiative to build canopy walkways in the world’s highest biodiverse forests. This initiative provides income to indigenous people through ecotourism instead of logging. Lowman’s personal mantra is “no child left indoors.”
About the series
TomorrowTalks place thought leaders of today in conversation with the changemakers of tomorrow: our students. Each distinguished speaker will explain how they use writing to address our most pressing challenges. This year, the series celebrates women in science and in addition to Lowman, speakers this year include Jane Goodall (November 2021) and Pardis Mahdavi (March 2022).
TomorrowTalks are a student-engagement initiative led by the Division of Humanities in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU and hosted by ASU's Department of English in partnership with Macmillan Publishers.
Photo of Meg Lowman courtesy of the TREE Foundation