A science writer and journalist known for her work in The New Yorker, Kolbert is the author of such influential works as Field Notes from a Catastrophe, a groundbreaking work on climate change; and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sixth Extinction, which provides the topic of this lecture. The Otis Lecture is sponsored by the Philip J. Otis Endowment at Bates, which supports programs focusing on the environment and its spiritual and moral dimensions. Free, but tickets required: bit.ly/Otisoct24. FMI 207-755-5989. (Photo: Barry Goldstein)