ALTOONA – Alexandra Cousteau will be the first speaker for Penn State Altoona’s 2013-2014 Distinguished Speaker Series.
Cousteau, granddaughter of famed undersea explorer Jacque Cousteau, will present “This Blue Planet: Preserving and Sustaining a Healthy Earth” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2, in the Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts.
A National Geographic “emerging explorer,” filmmaker and globally recognized advocate on water issues, Cousteau continues the work of her renowned grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and her father Philippe Cousteau Sr. She has mastered the remarkable storytelling tradition handed down to her and has the unique ability to inspire audiences on the weighty issues of policy, politics and action.
Cousteau is dedicated to advocating the importance of conservation and the sustainable management of water in order to preserve a healthy planet. Her global initiatives seek to inspire and empower individuals to protect not only the ocean and its inhabitants, but also the human communities that rely on freshwater resources.
Born into the family business, Cousteau joined her parents in Easter Island on her first expedition at just 4 months old. By the age of three, she had toured Africa, exploring Egypt, Tunisia, Uganda and Kenya in the arms of her father. And, like her father, she is one of the few who learned to scuba dive with Captain Cousteau himself at the tender age of seven. It is against this backdrop that Cousteau weaves the romance of adventure and discovery into a modern call for action.
Fluent in English, French and Spanish, Cousteau is rapidly building a significant global audience of her own. By coupling traditional media tours and film with social media platforms, Cousteau has helped NGOs as well as government- and corporate-led water programs engage record audiences for action.
The Penn State Altoona Distinguished Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Tickets are available at the Penn State Altoona Bookstore Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., at the box office in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts during posted hours, or at the door if not “sold out” in advance.
Penn State Altoona provides The Distinguished Speaker Series as a student and community service. It is partially sponsored by the Margery Wolf Kuhn Fund, the John and Ann Wolf Family Speakers Series Fund, the Sarah Simonton Fund, and the Student Activities Fee.
