M. Sanjayan, host of PBS’s ‘Big Blue Live,’ to speak at Ohio State

People need nature to survive.

That’s one of the messages that Conservation International’s M. Sanjayan, pictured, will share at Ohio State on Feb. 11.

Sanjayan, a global conservation scientist, writer and Emmy-nominated news contributor, will present “Earth and People: Lessons in Living Together” from 7-8:30 p.m. in the 1,550-seat Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom in Ohio State’s Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St., in Columbus. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Admission to the event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required at go.osu.edu/epn_Sanjayan.

In his work, Sanjayan focuses on the role of conservation in improving human well-being, wildlife and the environment.

Serving on Conservation International’s senior leadership team as executive vice president and senior scientist, Sanjayan led the launch of Nature Is Speaking, the organization’s critically acclaimed campaign that features Julia Roberts, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson and Penelope Cruz, among others, and that delivers a powerful message: people need nature to survive.

In the summer of 2015, Sanjayan co-hosted “Big Blue Live,” a three-part television event by PBS and the BBC that showcased marine life on the Pacific Coast. It was the first live primetime natural history show on American television.

He also hosted the 2015 PBS and National Geographic television series “Earth: A New Wild,” which was filmed in more than 24 countries, and was a contributor on Showtime’s Emmy-winning series on climate change, “Years of Living Dangerously.”

Sanjayan has appeared on numerous other programs, including “The Today Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman,” and was named to Men’s Journal’s list of the “50 Most Adventurous Men” in 2015.

Tom Stalf, president and CEO of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, will start the Feb. 11 event with highlights of locally supported programs and projects helping protect biodiversity in Ohio and far beyond.

The Environmental Professionals Network, a service of CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, is the event’s host.

Sponsors of the event include The Nature Conservancy and Ohio State’s Office of Energy and Environment, Sustainable and Resilient Economy Discovery Theme, and TerrAqua student group.

For more information, contact EPN Coordinator David Hanselmann at hanselmann.3@osu.edu or 614-247-1908.