'Magdalena - A Story of Colombia' with Wade Davis, Explorer

'Magdalena - A Story of Colombia' is the title of our 'Fireside Discussion' with the renowned explorer, author and anthropologist Wade Davis.

This event is moderated by Dr Susan Hegary of the School of History & Geography. It has been organised by DCU and Her Excellency Mrs Patricia Cortés Ortiz, Ambassador from Colombia to Ireland.

Wade Davis is a writer and photographer whose work has taken him from the Amazon to Tibet, Africa to Australia, Polynesia to the Arctic. Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society from 2000 to 2013, he is currently Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Author of 23 books, including One River, The Wayfinders and Into the Silence, he holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. In 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2018 he became an Honorary Citizen of Colombia. His latest book is Magdalena: River of Dreams, released by Vintage in 2021.

Susan Hegarty is a geographer and Head of School in the DCU School of History and Geography. Her research focuses on citizen science for monitoring water quality, and on the evolution of the Irish landscape and our use of that landscape. She is enthusiastic about transmitting the importance of Geography to the wider public, and to this end has taken part in a number of documentary series on both Irish and British television channels and is involved in citizen science projects looking at water quality in Ireland. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.