Jad Abumrad at MaxFunCon from Jesse Thorn on Vimeo.
Congratulations to Jad Abumrad!
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded him one of its prestigious fellowships (sometimes referred to as "genius grants"). Jad is the co-host and producer of the public radio program Radiolab which uses audio in unique and creative ways to explore complex scientific and philosophical questions. To quote the foundation, Jad ". . . employs his background as a composer to orchestrate dialogue, music, and sound effects into compelling documentaries that draw listeners into investigations of otherwise intimidating topics, such as the nature of numbers, the evolution of altruism, or the science of emergent phenomena within ant colonies and other complex systems."
Jad was a keynote speaker at our second MaxFunCon in 2010. As you can see in this video, he provided the lucky attendees with fascinating insights into the making of Radiolab and the techniques he employs to make information sound like music.
True genius, indeed.