Professor Donald Worster, described as one of the “leading environmental historians in the world”, will give a free public lecture titled Facing Limits: from Abundance to Scarcity in America and the World, at the University of Stirling on 24 November from 5pm to 6pm.
Professor Worster will speak on the evening before he is presented with an Honorary Doctorate from Stirling, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of Global Environmental History.
The graduation ceremony takes place on 25 November at the Albert Halls, Stirling.
Stirling’s Professor of Environmental History, Richard Oram, describes Professor Worster’s visit as “hugely significant”.
He added: “Professor Worster is widely acknowledged as one of the founding figures of environmental history as a modern discipline.
"His acceptance of the Honorary Doctorate signals his recognition of our University as a leading research centre in the field of environmental history and helps to strengthen links between us and environmental historians in the USA.”
Professor Worster supported the establishment of specialist research in environmental history at Stirling and actively promotes the subject across Europe. He is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of the subject and in 2009 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences - one of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies.
His latest book A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir won the Homecoming Award 2009 from the Saltire Society at the National Library of Scotland. It was also awarded the Book of the Year prize in 2010 from the Scottish Arts Council. Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist and early advocate of preservation of the environment in the United States.
Professor Oram added: “As the leading centre of environmental history research in Scotland, this is recognition of his role in developing and promoting the subject, together with his outstanding contribution to raising its profile of the subject through his award-winning biography of John Muir.
“That work directly parallels much of the landscape-based study which we have promoted through the Research Centre for Environmental History and Policy over the last decade and is reflected in the degree programmes which we offer from undergraduate modules through to PhD research.”
The talk will be held on 24 November from 5pm to 6pm in Lecture Theatre A4, Cottrell Building.