Spencer Wells, Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of ’56 Professor and Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic and Director of the Genographic Project, has adventured to almost 80 countries, ridden ex-Soviet tanks in -70 degree temperatures in far-eastern Russia, traversed the worst part of the Sahara Desert in Chad and crossed mine fields in Bolivia, while on a quest to discover how the human race migrated the globe. 

Arthur Allen’s penchant for understanding the environmental relationships and life histories of birds became the hallmark of his work. His keen insight into the lives of birds as organisms and their behavior inspired countless students who passed through his “Grad Lab,” which from the ’20s until the ’40s, was the premier site for training ornithologists. He was pivotal in establishing the current Lab of Ornithology.

Five years and over 400,000 samples later, Cornell’s most recent Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of ’56 Professor, Dr. Spencer Wells, enhanced the public’s view of genetic anthropology.  His work re-traces humanity’s migrations over the past 60,000 years.

Who’s Spencer Wells?

Dr. Spencer Wells is a celebrated geneticist, who studies human diversity.  He is the author of 41 papers and two books, the author and presenter of the PBS/National Geographic documentary Journey of Man: a Genetic Odyssey, as well as several other documentaries for National Geographic, the director of the Genographic project, a popular explorer and lecturer, and the new Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 Professor.

“Where did we come from, and how did we get to where we live today?”

So read the flyer distributed by The Cornell Center for Comparative and Population Genomics promoting yesterday’s lecture by Spencer Wells, PhD., director of the Genographic Project at the National Geographic Society.

There were few empty seats in Call Auditorium in Kennedy Hall yesterday evening, where Ithaca residents and members of the Cornell community gathered to hear Wells speak.

“It’s great to see such a high turnout, especially on tax day,” Wells said. “I’m glad all of you aren’t off doing strange things with teabags.”