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Ira Flatow        

Host of NPR's "Science Friday", Emmy-winning TV Journalist, Science Author

Award-winning science correspondent and TV journalist Ira Flatow is the host of NPR's "Science Friday," a weekly call-in radio program and podcast that connects 2 million weekly listeners with scientists for informative discussions about science, technology, health, space, and the environment. He describes his work as a challenge "to make science and technology a topic for discussion around the dinner table."

Flatow's career extends beyond radio, with significant contributions to television and education through science communication. He has reported on crucial science stories from various locations, including Three Mile Island, Antarctica, and the South Pole. For six years, Flatow was the host and writer for the Emmy Award-winning "Newton's Apple" on PBS, and he has served as a science reporter for CBS, Westinghouse, and CNBC. Notably, Flatow co-starred on the CBS series "The Big Bang Theory." He has also made appearances on "The Today Show," "Charlie Rose," "Merv Griffin," "Oprah," and webcasts for Discovery Online, "The Great Planet Debate," and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

In addition to his media work, Flatow is an accomplished author, with his book "Present at the Future: From Evolution to Nanotechnology, Candid and Controversial Conversations on Science and Nature" contributing to his reputation. He founded the Science Friday Initiative, a nonprofit organization aimed at making science accessible through broadcast and internet projects. His dedication to science communication has earned him numerous awards, including the Isaac Asimov Award, the Nierenberg Prize, National Science Teachers Association Faraday Science Communicator Award, the National Science Board Public Service Award, and the Carl Sagan Award. Flatow has spoken at prestigious institutions and forums, advocating for science as a vital part of everyday conversation and education.

Speech Topics


Life as a Science Journalist

Science and the Media: Getting Past the Gate Keepers

The History of Inventions

Unusual Patents: Where do Ideas Come From

News


E.O. Wilson's Advice for Future Scientists : NPR
I'm Ira Flatow. In his long career studying ants, nature and ecology, E.O. Wilson has been no stranger to controversy. In the 1970s he was doused with water at a  ...
NPR.org » Bad Diagnosis For New Psychiatry 'Bible'
FLATOW: I'm Ira Flatow. We're talking this hour about the controversy over the DSM-V, the bible of diagnosis, with my guests Gary Greenberg, Thomas Insel and ...
Desktop Diaries: Tim White : NPR
IRA FLATOW, HOST: Time for our Video Pick with Flora Lichtman. She's here. Hi, Flora. FLORA LICHTMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Ira. FLATOW: Oh, a special one this ...
NPR.org » Is Alternative Medicine Really 'Medicine'?
IRA FLATOW, HOST: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. Before we begin our program today, I'd like to thank you, our listeners and our public radio ...
Surf's Up for Pathogenic Viruses and Bacteria, Too : NPR
FLATOW: I'm Ira Flatow, this is SCIENCE FRIDAY, from NPR. I'm Ira Flatow. We're talking this hour about the viruses and bacteria that end up in our coastal ...
Promising Results In Early Trial of Novel MS Treatment : NPR
IRA FLATOW, HOST: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. In the disease multiple sclerosis, the body's own immune cells stage a mutiny. Those cells, white ...
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Michael Pollan: You Are What You Cook : NPR
IRA FLATOW, HOST: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. Five years ago, my next guest offered us this simple advice on what to eat: Eat food, not too much , ...
Not-So-Sweet Side Effects of Artificial Sweeteners : NPR
IRA FLATOW, HOST: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. Diet drinks seem like the healthier way to have your soda and keep down those calories.
Ira Flatow of "Science Friday" discusses show's future after TOTN ...
Segments from Friday's show:When NPR announced that it would close down its daily call-in show “Talk of the Nation” in July, science fans across the country ...
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