Dickson Despommier

Artist, Concerned citizen, Educator/Teacher, Environmentalist, Foodie, Idea generator, Photographer, Scientist, Startup, World traveler

I was born in New Orleans, and grew up in San Lorenzo, CA. I moved to the NYC area and spent the rest of my childhood and early adulthood there. I went to college and wanted to know how life arose and maintains itself. I became a biologist and remain so to this day. I have traveled extensively and combine business trips with pleasures (sightseeing, fishing, cooking classes, photography and visits to green markets). I was married (currently with a wonderful woman, Marlene Bloom) and have two wonderful sons: one is an air traffic controller in Wichita and an awesome guitar player - I mean really awesome! with 3 kids - , and the other is harder to describe - loves to cook, poetical, incredibly funny, loves to perform and does a wide variety of acting, including voice-overs, commercials, video games, etc. Stand-up is his best venue. I was a laboratory-based scientist for over 30 years, then switched to more global issues related to ecology and ecosystem degradation. I have a passion for trout fishing and undisturbed habitats. The most awesome trip I have ever taken was to Bhutan. I am a visual person - nature photography, 3D protein structures, and Jackson Pollack really turn me on. I love museums of art, scientific conferences, trips to new places and interesting, new food. I could go on, but I won't.

The environment, health, education, watercolors, freshwater habitats, spicy food of all kind, cooking, documentaries, ecology, warm people, fishing (trout, bonefish, red fish, stripers), comedy.

Growing food crops inside the urban landscape using cutting edge technologies. I will talk on this subject.

Microbiology-Intracelluar Parisitology, Stream Ecology, Urban ecology

I always put my passions first, then find reasons for them. I am incredibly non-political. I will probably never see all the places in the world I want to visit. I will never scuba dive (lousy left ear that won't clear) but I love undersea documentaries. I am crazy about NASA programs, the planets, galaxies, dark matter, neutron stars, origins of everything. I love printing my own images and giving exhibitions.

I can whistle in two tones and in harmony. Mostly jazz. I learned to do it while working in the dark room listening to the radio. I can't figure out how I do it, I just do.