Award-winning author and science journalist to speak at UC
Ed Yong to share unique perspectives on nature, empathy
The University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences welcomes Ed Yong, Pulitzer–winning science journalist and bestselling author of “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us” for a presentation this October.
Award-winning author, science journalism and A&S guest speaker Ed Yong. Photo/Provided
Yong will discuss “The Amazing Nature of Animal Senses,” a lecture based on his acclaimed book that explores how animals perceive aspects of the world invisible to humans. From birds that see ultraviolet light to turtles that navigate using earth’s magnetic fields, Yong reveals how studying animal perception broadens our understanding of nature — and empathy.
The event is 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at Probasco Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.
Yong's presentations on animals and the natural world are infused with humor, joy, wonder and infectious enthusiasm. Yong is also the bestselling author of “I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us,” a groundbreaking, informative, and entertaining examination of the relationship between animals and microbes.
“The college is especially excited to host Ed Yong, as his work perfectly exemplifies what we strive to achieve within our college an integration of the arts and sciences,” said Theresa Culley, interim associate dean of natural sciences.
“As a Pulitzer-winning science journalist, Ed Yong uses his beautifully constructed prose to capture the intriguing and amazing natural world around us. His skill in science communication is an ideal example of our college slogan Discovery in Action — how our college impacts the world around us.”
Ed Yong is author of "An Immense World." Photo/Provided
“An Immense World” was named among the best books of the 2023 by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, the Economist and the Washington Post.
Yong won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Exemplary Reporting for his coverage of the pandemic, as well as the George Polk Award for science reporting; the Victor Cohn Prize for medical-science reporting; the Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for investigative journalism; the John P. McGovern Award from the American Medical Writers Association; and the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for in-depth reporting.
In 2024, Yong was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship for his trailblazing science writing. A longtime science reporter for the Atlantic, his work has also appeared in National Geographic, the New Yorker, Wired, Nature, New Scientist, and Scientific American, among others.
Presented by UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, the event is part of the university’s commitment to fostering conversations that connect research, empathy and discovery.
Featured image at top: UC will play host to science writer Ed Yong on Oct. 9. Photo/Hannah White/UC College of Arts and Sciences
Related Stories
How do bats tell insects from leaves? Ask a robot
January 14, 2026
Why do researchers think big-eared bats can find hidden insects without having to scrutinize every leaf in a forest? Their robot can do it.
Pylos: From princes to a palace in Messenia
January 13, 2026
World Archaeology Magazine highlights discoveries from ancient Greece such as the Griffin Warrior by UC Classics Professor Jack Davis and Senior Research Associate Sharon Stocker. Many of the artifacts from their discoveries went on display last year in North America for the first time with an exhibit at the Getty Museum.
World class: Alumni travel program connects Bearcats on global scale
January 7, 2026
Most people have a natural curiosity to see the world. Meanwhile, most Bearcats enjoy being around other Bearcats. Alumni can check both boxes through the UC Alumni Association’s travel program, which offers about half a dozen excursions each year to fascinating places around the globe.