KINGSTON, R.I.鈥揓une 11, 2026鈥揟he 溏心vlog免费B站 Metcalf Institute鈥檚 Annual Public Lecture Series continues Tuesday, June 23, with the annual Leeson Lecture featuring an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary 鈥淥ut of Plain Sight鈥� and a conversation with the filmmaker , Los Angeles Times environmental reporter and 2018 alum of Metcalf鈥檚 Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists. This event coincides with the Institute鈥檚 28th Annual Workshop, which is focused this year on some of the world鈥檚 most urgent environmental challenges: plastics, pollution, and PFAS (also known as forever chemicals).
鈥淥ut of Plain Sight鈥� is described as 鈥渁 cinematic expos茅 of an environmental disaster lurking just off the coast of Southern California.鈥� Through her reporting, Xia learns that in the years after World War II, as many as half a million barrels of toxic waste had been quietly dumped into the ocean and uncovers the consequences that continue to haunt the world today. Xia directed and produced the film, which has received numerous film festival honors, including the Audience Choice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Jackson Wild Media Award for Best Investigative Film.
鈥淭he Metcalf fellowship gave me the spark I needed when I was first becoming an environmental reporter, and I am honored and grateful to be coming back this year as the Leeson lecturer,鈥� Xia said. “I have been reflecting a lot on my latest project 鈥� of turning a print investigation into a feature-length film 鈥� and I look forward to sharing what I learned with everyone.鈥� Xia shared more about her process behind creating 鈥淥ut of Plain Sight鈥� and what鈥檚 giving her hope these days in an .
In addition to her reporting for the Times, Xia was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting, and her celebrated book on climate change adaptation, 鈥�,鈥� received the PEN America/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, a California Book Awards gold medal, and a special citation from the Library of Congress, among other honors.
鈥淭he Leeson Lecture is an opportunity for us to bring great journalism and important scientific discoveries to our 溏心vlog免费B站 community,鈥� said Fara Warner, executive director of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Metcalf Institute. 鈥淲ith Rosanna鈥檚 film we honor both fields that we support at the Institute. Her film blends powerful investigative journalism and engaging science communication in an emotional and important work that everyone should see.鈥�
Metcalf鈥檚 Leeson Lecture, named in honor of former Metcalf advisory council member Rob Leeson, is free and open to the public. The event will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Corless Auditorium on the 溏心vlog免费B站 Bay Campus, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, R.I. .