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Mary Roach

TED Speaker & Author Known for "Packing For Mars"

TED Speaker & Author Known for "Packing For Mars"

Travels From Travels From:
Oakland, CA, USA
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Mary Roach Biography

Mary Roach grew up in a small house in Etna, New Hampshire. Roach graduated from Wesleyan in 1981 and moved San Francisco, where she spent a few years working as a freelance copy editor before landing a half-time PR job at the San Francisco Zoo. Roach's office was in a trailer next to Gorilla World. On the days when she wasn't taking calls about elephant wart removal surgery or denying rumors that the cheetahs had been sucked dry by fleas, she wrote freelance articles for the local newspaper's Sunday magazine. Eventually, her editors there moved on to bigger things and took Roach along with them.

Roach mostly write books these days but still writes the occasional magazine piece. These have run in Outside, National Geographic, New Scientist, Wired, and The New York Times Magazine, as well as many others. A 1995 article of hers called "How to Win at Germ Warfare" was a National Magazine Award Finalist, and in 1996, Roach's article on earthquake-proof bamboo houses took the Engineering Journalism Award in the general interest magazine category. Roach often writes about science and review books for The New York Times.

Her first book, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers," was an offshoot of a column she had written for Salon.com. She is also the author of "Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife," "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex," "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void," and her most recent release, "Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal."

Roach is also a TED speaker, and her TED Talk, "10 Things You Didn't Know About Orgasm," is listed as one of the most popular talks of all time with over 30 million views.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/11/2024.

Mary Roach Speaking Topics

  • Packing for Mars

    Space is the most hostile environment there is, which is perhaps why we are so fascinated with it. Why would anyone aspire to be an astronaut? How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? Or smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of startlingly bizarre space simulations.

    As Mary Roach discovered, it’s possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth. With her trademark witty candor, Roach says that she set out to humanize aeronautics, a topic that tends to maintain a sense of steely nobility. She tells us the things you won’t hear from NASA…from liquor cabinets in space to zero gravity bathroom procedures.

Mary Roach Videos

  • Mary Roach Introduces Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
    "Military science is just not what you think it is." —Mary Roach
  • Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
    Interview with Mary Roach, author of 'Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal', shortlisted for 2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books....
  • A Good Nose: Mary Roach Studies 'Olfactory Forensics'
    Science writer Mary Roach talks about researching her book Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, and she shares how to use the nose to...

Mary Roach Books

  • Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
    Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
  • Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
    Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
  • My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places
    My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places
  • Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
    Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
  • Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
    Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
  • Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
    Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

FAQs on booking Mary Roach

  • How do I book Mary Roach to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Mary Roach for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Mary Roach, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Mary Roach or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Mary Roach

    Speaking fees for Mary Roach, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Mary Roach are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Mary Roach, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Mary Roach speak about?

  • Where does Mary Roach travel from?

    Mary Roach generally travels from Oakland, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Mary Roach’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Mary Roach for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Mary Roach for your next private or corporate function.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Mary Roach or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Mary Roach is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Packing for Mars. The estimated speaking fee range to book Mary Roach for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Mary Roach generally travels from Oakland, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Ray Kurzweil, Nicholas Carr, Daniel Dennett, Siri Hustvedt and Marina Adshade. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Mary Roach for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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