The Walker L. Cisler Memorial Lecture Series Presents...

If you think being a journalist involves spending your days perched at a desk and staring at a computer screen, you’ll change your mind when you meet John Noble Wilford. As a science correspondent and senior writer for the New York Times, Wilford has flown through the eye of a hurricane, operated lunar-landing and space shuttle training simulators, and even searched for the elusive Loch Ness monster – all in the name of journalism. But for Wilford, journalism is much more than simply telling a story. For more than four decades, Wilford has traveled the globe covering space exploration, astronomy, archaeology, paleontology, and other fields of science. To him, science is an exercise in what he calls “informed wonder,” or imagination modulated by reality: knowledge, observation, and inspiration anchored in real possibilities.

Since joining the New York Times as a science news reporter in 1965, Wilford has committed to sharing this informed wonder with his readers. As a journalist, he has covered cutting-edge technology and scientific breakthroughs, including space exploration, but also has witnessed the tragic consequences of such endeavors, like the Challenger space shuttle explosion.

Throughout his career, Wilford has gained not only an appreciation for science and technology, but a curiosity.

"I supply the inquisitive wonder, and the scientist I interview informs me from the knowledge that his wonder has given him," Wilford said.

It is that passion for informed wonder that has earned Wilford a prominent position in the world of science journalism. His many honors include the American Association for the Advancement of Science Journalism Award in 1983 and two Pulitzer Prizes for National Reporting in 1984 and 1987.

From 1975 to 1979 Wilford also served as director of science news at the New York Times, and it was during his tenure
that “Science Times” was launched. The weekly science section was awarded the prestigious Public Understanding of Science Award from the Lasker Foundation in 2000 for “sustained, comprehensive, and high-quality coverage about science,
disease, and human health.”

Prior to joining the New York Times, Wilford worked as a staff reporter with the Wall Street Journal and was a contributing editor for Time magazine. He is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the Society of Professional
Journalists, the Authors Guild, and the American Geographical Society. Wilford earned his bachelor’s degree from the
University of Tennessee in 1955 and his master’s degree from Syracuse University in 1956.

Wilford has written and co-authored nine books and has contributed to various other books and anthologies. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic and Reader’s Digest.