CNN Films Professor's Lecture

Blockbuster movie-makers have been banned from the Yard since the days of "Love Story," but, broadcast news producers are apparently welcome at the lectures of Baird Professor of Science Edward O. Wilson.

A camera crew from CNN visited Wilson's core course "Evolutionary Biology" yesterday and filmed both the famed professor and his audience.

The footage will be used as part of an hour-long video segment about Wilson, tentatively scheduled for release November 6. Wilson was selected as a subject because his autobiography, Naturalist, was just released, according to Craig Duff, senior producer for the CNN environmental Unit.

"E. O. Wilson is the leading person on biodiversity," Duff said.

Wilson is not only a leading scientist but also a noted humanist. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for general non-fiction, one in 1979 and one in 1991.

Wilson, who last year was filmed lecturing by "Good Morning America," said he felt "indifferent" to the presence of the two equipment-laden technicians in Science Center C following his every move.

But some students said the video cameras affected Wilson's lecturing.

"I thought he was performing a little bit," said J. Christopher Paul '98. "Class was particularly interesting today."

Wilson will be featured in the weekly CNN show "Earth Matters." The show is a news magazine which covers international environmental issues. It is shown across the Unites States and in Latin America.