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Sebastian Junger, the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, Fire, A Death in Belmont, War, Tribe, Freedom, and In My Time of Dying, will deliver the MBL Falmouth Forum on Friday, May 16 at 7:30 PM at the Marine Biological Laboratory. Four years ago, Sebastian Junger faced death when he suffered from a sudden abdominal hemorrhage. In what could have been his final moments, he experienced a vision of his deceased father—a physicist and fellow atheist—appearing to him in the trauma bay. This profound and unexpected encounter challenged Junger's understanding of death. In In My Time of Dying, he embarks on a deeply personal journey to unravel the meaning of this life-altering event. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and a special correspondent at ABC News, Junger has covered major international news stories worldwide. He has received both a National Magazine Award and a Peabody Award. Junger is also a documentary filmmaker whose debut film Restrepo, a feature-length documentary (co-directed with Tim Hetherington), was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The 2024-25 Falmouth Forum series is held in the Cornelia Clapp Auditorium, located in Lillie Laboratory, at 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole and is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in any MBL lot. See website to register for online viewing. No registration is required for in-person attendance. This will be the Herman T. Epstein Endowed Memorial Lecture, named in honor of Dr. Epstein who published dozens of papers and two books on the subjects of mind, brain, and education and was dedicated to the problem of how to improve education and the performance of children in school. Dr. Epstein designed courses in “science for non-scientists” at the high school and college levels. During retirement he worked at the MBL on learning and the retrieval of learning in the marine nudibranch, Hermissenda, and is fondly remembered for his work on the creation of the Falmouth Forum program over 30 years ago. The Friends of the MBL will also offer a buffet dinner at 6:00 PM in the Meigs Room of Swope Hall overlooking Eel Pond. Tickets are required and may be purchased through the MBL website or at this link until the Friday before the event or until sold out. The annual series is presented by the Friends of the MBL and offered as a cultural connection between the Marine Biological Laboratory and the Cape Cod community. Forums are offered at the MBL one Friday each month through May 2025 and are supported by the Falmouth Forum Endowment, the Bakalar Endowed Director's Discretionary Fund, and the Woods Hole Foundation. The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery – exploring fundamental biology, understanding biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago. The Friends of the MBL provide a vital connection between the MBL and the community. MBL Associates create and host local educational and cultural programs, sponsor promising students and early career investigators, and volunteer their time to the MBL.