Animal Planet host to visit campus

Biologist Jeff Corwin named Bateman Scholar

eff Corwin, executive producer and host of a wildlife adventure show on the Animal Planet channel, comes to campus March 24-26 as the Eleanor Bateman Scholar in Residence. The highlight of his visit will be a public lecture titled "Conservation and Environmental Education in the 21st Century," on Monday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center.

     Following the lecture, Corwin will be presented with a campus award by interim Chancellor Marcellette G. Williams. Corwin will be available to sign autographs prior to his lecture in the Fine Arts Center atrium.

     During his visit, Corwin will also guest lecture in conservation biology and applied ecology classes and meet with students and faculty.

     Corwin is the executive producer and host of "The Jeff Corwin Experience" on Animal Planet. The wildlife adventure show, which is geared to a general audience, combines humor, adventure, and some of the world's most exotic animals, found in locations ranging from the jungles of Borneo to the Alaskan tundra.

     Born and raised in Norwell, Corwin received his bachelor's degree in biology and anthropology from Bridgewater State College. He is currently completing his master's research on Central American bats through the Department of Natural Resources Conservation.

     As an undergraduate at Bridgewater State, Corwin helped establish the Emerald Rainforest Foundation, an organization dedicated to the conservation of the tropical rainforest. Corwin joined a team of scientists involved with the Jason Project as an expedition naturalist in the rainforests of Belize in 1994, producing televised broadcasts. From 1997 to 1999, Corwin co-created, produced and hosted the Disney Channel's popular television series, "Going Wild with Jeff Corwin." The show, which communicated the importance of wildlife in a fun and educational manner, became one of the first computer interactive programs on television, allowing audiences to experience and participate in the exploration process.

     Corwin also produced and hosted "Jaguar Trax," an ecological docu-drama filmed in Costa Rica, and is de-veloping a series of books that explore the natural history of endangered species and the threatened ecosystems they inhabit. Corwin has delivered keynote addresses for an array of organizations, including the United Nations conference on Youth and the Environment and the International Rainforest Conference.

     He is currently partnering with the South Shore Natural Science Center of Norwell to establish an interactive museum and environmental education center called the EcoZone.