Ira Flatow

Ira Flatow (born March 9, 1949) is a radio and television personality who hosts National Public Radio's popular Talk of the Nation - Science Friday. He is probably best known for hosting Newton's Apple which was a Emmy Award-winning television science program for children and young adults.

He was born in New York City and his first experience with a television news program was in his high school. In 1967, however, Flatow entered college to pursue an engineering degree.

He began working in radio at WBFO, in Buffalo, New York and his first news stories covered antiwar demonstrations and riots. Flatow's first science stories were created in 1970 during the first Earth Day. Years later he be became the news director of WBFO.

In 1971 he was hired by the newly-formed National Public Radio in Washington, DC. There he covered the environment, health and medicine news, and technology stories. While at NPR, Flatow began to host the Friday edition of Talk of the Nation which became known as Science Friday.

From 1982 through 1987 he hosted Newton's Apple, which originated at KTCA in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In addition to his work for NPR, Flatow is the president of ScienCentral which is a company whose goal is to increase science news on television.

Honors

• National Association of Science Writers member
• Double winner of the AAAS- Westinghouse science award

External links

• Biography from NPR
• Science Friday web site
• Science Friday program on open-source software, including Wikipedia