Fridtjof Nansen at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival

150 years after his birth, environmental scientists Mark Brandon and Mark Maslin join Geir Hestmark and John Grue from the Norwegian Academy of Sciences to celebrate the life of a truly astonishing man.

Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian polar explorer, oceanographer, diplomat, athlete. In fact the range of his accomplishments is quite extraordinary. He proved that the ice drifted across the Arctic Ocean by sealing his ship in the ice and tracking its movement; he trekked across Greenland, burning his boats so that they had no choice but to go on; and he had a deep compassion for his fellow human beings, saving countless thousands through his humanitarian work that won him the Nobel Peace Prize.

NANSEN: S132 Town Hall 6.45 - 7.45pm £6 (£5)