Ira Flatow

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.