John Acorn is a Canadian naturalist. He is a lecturer at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, a

research associate Research associates are researchers (scholars and professionals) that usually have an advanced degree beyond a Master's degree. In some universities/research institutes, such as Harvard/Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Public Health, the ...

at the

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (RTMP, and often referred to as the Royal Tyrrell Museum) is a palaeontology museum and research facility in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The museum was named in honour of Joseph Burr Tyrrell, and is situa ...

, and a research associate at the E.H. Strickland

Entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

Museum. He is also a local

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

celebrity, combining

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

with educational lyrics about the natural world.

Television Series

John Acorn became publicly known for his television series ''Acorn, the Nature Nut''. 88 episodes were produced, each focusing on a different aspect of the natural world, and which featured folk songs, whimsical descriptions like ''Flying Neon Toothpicks in the Grass'', and characters like Skibibad Windfield. He was also the host of ''Twits and Pishers'' a series about birdwatching that ran for two seasons on the Discovery Channel. Acorn also appears in recorded displays at the

Publications

* Birds of Alberta (Authored with Chris C. Fisher and Gary Ross) * Birds of Coastal British Columbia (Authored with Nancy Baron and Ted Nordhagen) * Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Authored with Nancy Baron) * Bugs of Alberta (Authored with Ian Sheldon) * Bugs of British Columbia (Authored with Ian Sheldon) * Bugs of Northern California (Authored with Ian Sheldon) * Bugs of Ontario (Authored with Ian Sheldon) * Bugs of Washington and Oregon (Authored with Ian Sheldon) * Butterflies of Alberta * Butterflies of British Columbia (Authored with Ian Sheldon) * Compact Guide to Alberta Birds (Authored with Chris Fisher and Andy Bezener) * Damselflies of Alberta: Flying Neon Toothpicks in the Grass * Deep Alberta: Fossil Facts and Dinosaur Digs * Ladybugs of Alberta: Finding the Spots and Connecting the Dots * Tiger Beetles of Alberta: Killers on the Clay, Stalkers on the Sand

Awards

* 2013 Medal of Honor, Entomological Foundation * 2012 Royal Society of Canada McNeil MedalScience Contours. 2012. John Acorn wins Royal Society of Canada medal for promoting science. Vol. 27, No. 2: 7. * 2008 NSERC Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion * 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award. University of Alberta * 2000 Emerald Award of Interpretation Canada for Gallery Videos at the Royal Tyrell Museum * 1998 ALBERTA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ASTech excellence in science & technology journalism * 1998 GEMINI AWARD nomination * 1996 GEMINI AWARD nomination * 1997 AMPIA AWARD, Alberta Motion Picture industry awards. * 1997 Edmonton Nature Centre Foundation * 1997 Calgary Zoo, Pachyderm Award * 1995 AMPIA AWARD, Alberta Motion Picture Industries Awards

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acorn, John Canadian naturalists Canadian television hosts Living people 1958 births Scientists from Edmonton University of Alberta faculty