Randy Olson is a marine biologist and filmmaker. He holds a
PhD in biology from Harvard University, and specializes in the
ecology of marine invertebrate larvae of such species as
starfish, corals, and sea squirts. He has published over twenty
research papers, including studies of larval dispersal,
nutrition, and settlement.
Dr. Olson graduated from the U.S.C. Cinema School in 1997 and
recently wrote and directed the feature documentary, "Flock of
Dodos: the evolution-intelligent design circus," which premiered
at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and was released in early
2007. Variety said the film is, "poised for instant success,"
The National Review called it, "an important accomplishment,"
and the New York Times said, "you'll flip over Flock of Dodos."
Olson also co-founded The Shifting Baselines Ocean Media
Project, which is a partnership between ocean conservation and
Hollywood to explore more innovative ways to communicate the
crisis facing our oceans. Shifting Baseline's projects have
included short films and television commercials written and
directed by Olson, including The Ocean Symphony PSA conducted by
Jack Black, recently featured on Youtube.com, producing nearly a
half million views.
selected articles
New York Times review of Flock of Dodos
http://www.flockofdodos.com/nytimesarticle.htm
organizational affiliations
The Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project
http://www.shiftingbaselines.org
other related websites
Flock of Dodos
Official film website
http://www.flockofdodos.com
Randy Olson's faculty bio at USChttp://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/biosci/faculty/olson.html
