Adam Hart

Adam Hart

Adam Hart in the field in South Africa
Born Brixham, England
Occupation Biologist, author, broadcaster
Education PhD, BA (Cantab)
Alma mater University of Cambridge, University of Sheffield
Subject Entomology, Ecology, Science Communication

Adam Hart FRES FRSB[1] born in Brixham, South Devon[2] is an English scientist, author and broadcaster.[3] He has co-presented three BBC TV documentaries on social insects (BBC4's Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony,[4] BBC2's Life on Planet Ant[5] and BBC2's Hive Alive[6]). Hart has written and presented numerous BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service documentaries and written more than 70 scientific papers.[7] In 2015, he authored the popular-science book The Life of Poo about our complex relationships with bacteria.[8]

Academic career

Hart was an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, studying Zoology.[1] His PhD at the University of Sheffield was on the cooperative behaviour of social insects (a group he became interested in because of their social behavior[9]). Following a post-doc examining conflict in social systems,[10] he transferred to the University of Gloucestershire in 2005, where he is currently the Professor of Science Communication.[1]

Hart has published scientific papers on a variety of topics, including entomology, ecology, disease, hygiene, nesting phenology, citizen science and climate change.[7] He also is a co-author of the textbook Introducing Forensic and Criminal Investigation.[11] He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Entomology and is an Associate Editor of that journal.[12] He also sits on the Editorial Board of The Biologist, the magazine of the Royal Society of Biology,[13]and is an Associate Editor of Antenna, the magazine of the Royal Entomological Society.[14]

Hart has an active involvement with large-scale citizen science projects that include the "Flying Ant" survey,[15][16] the "Spider in da House" survey and app[17][18] and the "Starling Murmuration" survey[19] with the Royal Society of Biology.

As a commentator on science-related stories, Hart has frequently appeared in the national press, often contributing to stories involving invertebrates such as ladybird invasions,[20] spiders[21] and ants.[22] He has also discussed topics including phobias,[23] the fear of spiders,[24] the threat of tree diseases,[25] banana disease[26] and insect conservation.[27] He is also a frequent commentator on our relationships with bacteria, including the medical implications of gut bacteria.[28]

In recognition of his academic work Hart is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society[29] and of the Royal Society of Biology. In 2010, he was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy[30] and the Society of Biology (now the Royal Society of Biology) Science Communicator of the Year award.[31] In 2011, he delivered the Charter Lecture for the Royal Society of Biology[32] and in 2015 he launched the University of Gloucestershire's public lecture series[33] and delivered the AGM address for the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.[34]

Hart thinks that science communication is about sharing science, saying that "The scientific method is our greatest intellectual achievement – it is a tool to understand ourselves and the universe. How could you not want to share that?"[10]

Broadcasting

Hart has frequently appeared on and presented TV and radio science documentaries.[35][36][37] He co-presented BBC4’s Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony[4] (with George McGavin), a 90-minute documentary about leafcutting ants, and BBC’s two-part series Hive Alive[6] (presenting with Martha Kearney and Chris Packham). Hart also presented Life on Planet Ant, aimed at a younger audience, for BBC2.[5] Planet Ant was nominated for Broadcast Digital[38] and Royal Television Society awards.[39]

Hart captained the University of Sheffield team [2] to the final of the BBC2 Christmas University Challenge series, which sees "teams of prominent alumni from 14 universities and university colleges...compete for the glory of their institutions and the honour of being declared Series Champions".[40]

Since 2011, Hart has presented BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service documentaries on an array of topics including honey,[41] migratory beekeeping,[42] swarm robotics,[43] tree diseases,[44][45] gut bacteria,[46] de-extinction,[47] trophy hunting[48][49] (in the wake of the Cecil the Lion story), the concept of free will in biology[50] and animal personality.[51]

In 2016 he presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service on human-induced evolutionary change,[52] the controversy over rhino horn trade [53] and on mosquito control.[54]

Writing and public speaking

Hart is a frequent public speaker, lecturing on topics that include social insects,[55][56] citizen science[57] and trophy hunting[58] to schools, public audiences and special-interest groups.[10] In 2013 he delivered a 24-hour lecture on social insects as part of the Royal Society's National Biology Week.[59] He has also written numerous articles for newspapers, magazines and for the BBC Science and Environment pages, including opinion pieces on migratory beekeeping,[60] human-induced evolution,[61] animal personality[62] and the realities of modern-day African hunting.[63] He has also written about the complex role of gut bacteria in human immunity.[64]

In 2015, his first popular-science book was published. The Life of Poo details our complex relationship with bacteria [8] and was serialized in the Daily Mail.[65]

He is a regular presenter and chair at the Cheltenham Science Festival, tackling topics such as tree diseases,[66] bees,[67] gut bacteria,[68] and garden moths.[69] He has also appeared at the Edinburgh[70] and Malta[71] Science Festivals, speaking on, amongst other things, the role of gut bacteria.[72] In 2013, he hosted the EU COST Science Night in Brussels.[73]

Awards and honours

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hart, Adam. "Academic Homepage". School of Natural and Social Sciences. University of Gloucestershire. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 "University of Sheffield Alumni Bulletin".
  3. ↑ "Adam Hart". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony". BBC Four. BBC TV. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Life on Planet Ant". BBC Two. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Hive Alive". BBC Two. BBC. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Adam Hart Google Scholar Page". Google Scholar. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 "LIfe of Poo". Amazon. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Reading Survey Response: Adam Hart". Edinburgh International Science Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 "Speaking to...Adam Hart". Speaking of Science. Julie Gould. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Introducing Criminal and Forensic Investigation". Sage Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "Editorial Board". Ecological Entomological Entomology. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "The Biologist editorial board". www.rsb.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  14. ↑ "Royal Entomological Society" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "Flying Ant Survey". Royal Society of Biology. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  16. ↑ Gayle, Damien (17 October 2012). "Flying Ant Day? Flying Ant Fortnight more like! Survey sheds light on the aerial courtship of Britain's ant species". Mail Online. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "Spider in Da House". Royal Society of Biology. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  18. ↑ Jones, Rachel (17 September 2014). "Spider ID: know your window from your false widow". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  19. ↑ "Starling Murmuration Survey". Royal Society of Biology. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Corcoram, Liam (5 November 2014). "Plague of ladybirds set to descend on Britain but experts say don't panic". The Mirror. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  21. ↑ Young, Matthew (17 September 2014). "Attack of the giant spiders: scorching summer leaves beasts poised to invade Britain". Daily Star. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  22. ↑ Culbertson, Alix (3 August 2015). "Invasion of the flying ants: What might be in store for YOU when you get home tonight...". Daily Express. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  23. ↑ Cohen, Tamara (13 June 2012). "The shape of fear... why spiders scare us so much: Humans are hardwired to fear their angular legs and unpredictability". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  24. ↑ "Spiders are misunderstood and feared for their shapel". The Daily Telegraph. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  25. ↑ Hart, Adam (23 June 2014). "Despite the lush summer leaves, our trees are under attack". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "The imminent death of the Cavendish banana". BBC Science. BBC. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  27. ↑ "Gloucester bee conservation project wins £50,000". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  28. ↑ "Are 'poo banks' the new antibiotics?". 2016-09-10. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  29. ↑ Hart, Adam (26 June 2014). "National Insect Week: All you need to know about bugs in the home". The Independent. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  30. ↑ "Dr Adam Hart, National Teaching Fellow 2010". Higher Education Academy. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  31. ↑ "2010 Science Communication Award Winners" (PDF). Royal Society of Biology. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  32. ↑ "Charter Lecture 2011: How can we avoid preaching to the converted". British Ecological Society. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  33. ↑ Moore, Shaun. "Professor Adam Hart launches first Public Lecture Series at University of Gloucestershire". Gloucester News Centre. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  34. ↑ "Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust AGM" (PDF). Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  35. ↑ "Midweek". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  36. ↑ "BBC Inside Science". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  37. ↑ "Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention: Bomb Detecting Bees". BBC One. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  38. ↑ "Broadcast Digital Awards Shortlist". Natural History Network. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  39. ↑ "RTS Awards: winners in full". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  40. ↑ "Christmas 2015 on BBC TV: A wonderful array of unique and quality shows for all the family". www.bbc.co.uk. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  41. ↑ "The Golden Treasure". BBC World Service: Discovery. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  42. ↑ "On the Trail of the American Honeybee". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  43. ↑ "Frontiers: Swarm Robotics". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  44. ↑ "Ashes to Ashes". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  45. ↑ "The Tree Scientists". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  46. ↑ "Frontiers: Gut Microbiota". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  47. ↑ "Raising Allosaurus: the Dream of Jurassic Park". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  48. ↑ "Big Game Theory". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  49. ↑ "Discovery: Lion Hunting in Africa". BBC.
  50. ↑ "Discovery: The Biology of Freedom". BBC World Service. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  51. ↑ "Frontiers: Animal Personality". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  52. ↑ "Unnatural Selection". BBC Radio 4 - Unnatural Selection. BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  53. ↑ "The Horns of a Dilemma". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  54. ↑ "Goodbye Mosquito". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  55. ↑ "Find out more about Mafia ants and stingless bees at Professor Adam Hart's talk at the University of Gloucestershire's Park Campus in Cheltenham". Gloucestershire Echo. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  56. ↑ "Community Lecture Will Delve into World of Ants and Bees". Dorset Echo. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  57. ↑ "Citizen Science". Cirenecester Science and Technology Society. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  58. ↑ "University public lecture to ask if big game hunting in Africa can help conservation". University of Gloucestershire. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  59. ↑ "24 Hour Lecture with Professor Adam Hart". Royal Society of Biology. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  60. ↑ Hart, Adam. "Huge scale of California pollination event". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  61. ↑ "Are humans drving evolution?". Are humans driving evolution. BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  62. ↑ Hart, Adam. "Is personality unique to humans?". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  63. ↑ Hart, Adam. "Viewpoint: Uncomfortable realities of big game hunting". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  64. ↑ "Gut Feling". British Society for Immunology. BSI. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  65. ↑ Hart, Adam (22 September 2015). "Think twice before shaking hands with a man and keep your toothbrush two metres from the loo to avoid bugs, new book says". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  66. ↑ "What's Killing our Trees?". Cheltenham Science Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  67. ↑ Devlin, Hannah. "Scientists find stingless bees keep spare virgin queen in a wax cage". The Times (10 June 2010). Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  68. ↑ "Our Friendly Bacteria". Cheltenham Science Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  69. ↑ "Your Garden by Night". Cheltenham Science Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  70. ↑ "What About the Bees". Edinburgh Science Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  71. ↑ "Open Day for Science Expo". Times of Malta. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  72. ↑ "Gut Feeling". Edinburgh International Science Festival. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  73. ↑ "Science Night 2013". EU COST. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  74. ↑ "Our Patrons". Bees Abroad. Retrieved 5 September 2015.

External links

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