Polar explorer Bancroft to close E.N. Thompson series

Ann Bancroft, a polar explorer, climate advocate and philanthropist, will present “No Horizon is So Far” at 7 p.m. March 31 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

The free event is the final lecture in the 2020-21 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. To order tickets, click here, call 402-472-4747 or visit the Lied Center box office, 301 N. 12th St. The forum is general admission, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the event will feature socially distanced seating. In addition, all patrons, volunteers and staff will be required to wear face coverings while inside the Lied Center. For more information on the Lied’s ticketing policies and health and safety measures, click here.

Bancroft is one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers and an internationally recognized educator who is dedicated to inspiring women and girls around the world. Through her roles as explorer, educator, speaker and philanthropist, she shares stories related to outdoor adventure to inspire a global audience to pursue their dreams.

The lecture will be preceded by a panel discussion at 4 p.m. at the Lied Center. “Picturing Disaster: Visualizing Climate Emergency and the Natural World” will explore the role of images in the age of human-generated climate change. The panel will feature Bancroft and University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty Katie Anania, assistant professor of art history; Stacy Asher, associate professor of art; and Jessica Corman, assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources. To RSVP, click here. The panel discussion is also general admission, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis and COVID-19 safety measures in place.

This year’s E.N. Thompson series, “Regeneration: Leadership and Hope for a Changing Planet,” focuses on how people can and should thoughtfully respond to current issues, from COVID-19 to climate change to political polarization. To watch previous talks, click here.

The panel discussion and Bancroft’s lecture will be streamed on the Thompson Forum website Livestreams will be available on the NET and LNKTV City websites, and the lecture will run live on LNKTV Education (Allo channel 23, Charter Spectrum channel 1303 and Windstream Kinetic channel 1080). The lecture will also be accessible on campus channel 4 and KRNU radio 90.3 FM. All talks are interpreted for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

The E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, Lied Center and university. It was established in 1988 with the purpose of bringing a diversity of viewpoints on international and public policy issues to the university and people of Nebraska to promote understanding and encourage discussion.