Chicago Council on Science and Technology, as part of its Science + Cinema Initiative, and WTTW Chicago Present

Urban Nature: Behind the Scenes

Join us as we take a behind-the-scenes look at Urban Nature, WTTW’s web series which explores different facets of wildlife and urban habitat here in Chicago, San Francisco and New York. The 16-episode series, which debuted this spring, focuses on a mix of wildlife, including squirrels, coyotes, migrating butterflies and more. The episodes shot in Chicago include the Loop, Austin, Lincoln Square, South Shore, Bronzeville, Rogers Park, Little Village, Hegewisch, and Oak Park.

Our behind-the-scenes look at the series will include a conversation with Dan Protess, the producer and writer for Urban Nature, and Marcus Kronforst, the host of the show. They will discuss the making of the series, and explore Kronforst’s work as an evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago. Scientist Joel Brown, a wildlife biologist, who was featured in a segment on squirrels, will join the conversation. Q and A to follow. Join us, and learn what it’s like to be a part of science filmmaking!

PROGRAM SPEAKERS:

Dan Protess is the producer and writer of Urban Nature. He is also the series producer of the PBS primetime series 10 that Changed America, which is currently in production on its third season. Dan has been producing and writing at WTTW Chicago for 17 years.

Marcus Kronforst, Ph.D., is the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolution at the University of Chicago. He is a prominent researcher in the field of evolutionary biology, where his work focuses on wing pattern mimicry in butterflies.

Joel S. Brown Ph.D. is a senior member of the Moffitt Cancer Center and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  His research encompasses wildlife biology, evolutionary ecology and cancer. His lab and graduate students have expanded to work from A to Z with aardvarks in South Africa and zebra at the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago.

DETAILS: Wednesday, May 10, Columbia College Chicago, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago IL 60605. Doors open at 5 p.m., program begins 6 p.m. Theater is located on the third floor, room 310. This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Please register for the event so we know you are attending. Questions? Contact Andrea Poet at apoet@c2st.org or 312-567-5795.

ABOUT C2ST: Chicago Council on Science and Technology is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization that brings researchers and scientists out of the lab, to the public. In an age when barely one in four voting adults meet a basic level of scientific literacy, we aim to reignite an excitement and passion for science and technology, and remind Chicagoans of the quality and quantity of R&D that takes place in their backyard. Visit our website, c2st.org, for a complete listing of our programs.