National Geographic Explorers to Speak at UCSD

Free Event for Public Preceded by Young Explorers Grants Workshop for UCSD Students

Washington, D.C. and San Diego, Sept. 15, 2011 -- Two accomplished explorers — one who works in some of Earth’s highest places and the other who explores its depths — will describe their National Geographic adventures at a free public presentation at the University of California, San Diego, on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Kenny Broad (left) and Pete Athans

Hosted by Dr. John Francis, vice president of research, conservation and exploration at National Geographic, and Dr. Albert Yu-Min Lin, research scientist in the UCSD division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, the event will be held at Mandeville Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.; doors will open at 7 p.m.

High-altitude mountaineer and athlete Pete Athans of The North Face — one of only three people in the world to have summited Everest seven times — will share highlights from his journeys into Nepal’s remote and forbidden Kingdom of Mustang, where ancient cliff caves have revealed pre-Buddhist antiquities.

National Geographic Emerging Explorer Kenny Broad, a professor at the University of Miami, will recount his expedition to one of the most challenging and spectacular frontiers of exploration — the Bahamas Blue Holes. Broad’s work in the Blue Holes was the cover story of the August 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine, and he was National Geographic's 2011 Explorer of the Year.

Calit2 research scientist Albert Lin

Francis will discuss his role at National Geographic and the organization’s support of exploration around the globe. Lin will talk about National Geographic’s impact on his work, especially his project exploring the land of Genghis Khan, and his efforts to merge technology and innovation with exploration.

The public presentation will follow a daylong workshop for UCSD students on National Geographic’s Young Explorers Grants program, to be held at Atkinson Hall’s Calit2 Auditorium from 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 1. Young Explorers Grants support individuals ages 18 to 25 in their pursuit of research-, exploration- and conservation-based field projects. This workshop will enable students interested in pursuing Young Explorers Grants to meet with recent grant recipients and National Geographic staff, explorers, conservationists and researchers. They will learn about the kinds of projects the program aims to support and will have an opportunity to discuss their ideas for field projects with National Geographic grantees and staff. Lin and other UCSD-based grantees will take part in the workshop.

Before the public evening event, National Geographic will stage a Young Explorers Grants Workshop for students only.

“Until starting the Young Explorers program in 2006, we tended only to fund more established researchers. We have now realized that, by supporting younger individuals on their first field projects, we can reach a dynamic, new sector,” Francis said. “With our increasingly diverse media and growing number of Young Explorers, we hope to better fulfill the National Geographic vision, which is to inspire people to care about the planet.”

The Oct. 1 workshop will be hosted by UCSD with support from the National Geographic Society, the Brinson Foundation, The North Face, Lucy and Henry Billingsley and ProBar.

“We are hosting the workshop to make students more aware of a tremendous opportunity,” said Ramesh Rao, director of the UCSD division of Calit2. “We are very proud of our joint Engineers for Exploration program with National Geographic, and this workshop will expose more students to the excitement of exploration – and the role science and technology can play in discovery.”

PUBLIC PRESENTATION EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Free public presentation by explorers from the National Geographic Society and The North Face

WHO: Pete Athans, climber and The North Face athlete; Kenny Broad, University of Miami professor and National Geographic 2011 Explorer of the Year; John Francis, National Geographic’s vice president of research, conservation and exploration; and Albert Yu-Min Lin, UCSD research scientist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer

WHERE: Mandeville Auditorium at UC San Diego

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Media Contacts

Doug Ramsey, Calit2/UCSD, 858-822-5825, cell 619-379-2912, dramsey@ucsd.edu or Barbara Moffet, National Geographic, bmoffet@ngs.org

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National Geographic Explorers to Speak at UCSD