Anthony Morgan will co-host The Nature of Things with Sarika Cullis-Suzuki

Anthony Morgan is a name that will become more familiar to many Canadians.

He’s one of the new co-hosts of the CBC’s The Nature of Things, and he has a close connection to northern Ontario.

From 2013 to 2014, Morgan was a student in Laurentian University’s master’s of science communication program. The program is a collaboration between Laurentian, and Science North in Sudbury, which teaches students how to communicate about science to a large audience.

“They teach you how to do things from producing briefing notes for policymakers, to editing videos, to live engagement in science centres or anything connected to science communication,” Morgan said.

Chantal Barriault, the program’s co-director, said it was evident early on that Morgan was destined for a career in television.

She remembered taking students on a field trip to the set of the former Discovery Channel show Daily Planet.

“Dan Riskin was a wonderful, wonderful host and he went around the room asking all the students what they planned on doing with their science communication degrees,” she said.

“And Anthony boldly said, ‘I’m taking your job.'”

Science everywhere

Morgan said he didn’t remember being so bold, but the sentiment was right.

Fighting polarization around science has been a big focus for him since he graduated from the science communication program.

He started a media startup called Science Everywhere, which focuses on science education and finding common ground. He also started a live event series in Toronto called Freestyle Social, meant to break down barriers around science communication.

“We’ve all been to holiday occasions or holiday parties where we’re afraid to go talk to that uncle, or that nephew, or that cousin who has a different view on wearing masks, or mandates, or any of those kinds of controversial issues,” he said.

“And so the goal for Freestyle Social, this sort of live event series, was to create a game where disagreements made us laugh instead of lose faith in humanity.”

Morgan has continued on that path and is pursuing a PhD with a thesis on how people can have better conversations around science that move past polarization.

‘It’s going to be Anthony’s Nature of Things’

David Pearson, also co-director of Laurentian’s science communication program, said he is confident Morgan will do a good job taking over from long-time The Nature of Things host David Suzuki.

“And just watch out. Nature of Things is going to be different and it’s going to be Anthony’s Nature of Things,” Pearson said.

Morgan will co-host the show with Sarika Cullis-Suzuki, Suzuki’s daughter, who has a PhD in biology and has hosted episodes of the show before.

Morgan will host his first episode in February, and will start full co-hosting duties in the fall.