Full Talent Lineup Announced for First-Ever National Geographic Explorers Festival
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PRWEB) June 07, 2017 -- The National Geographic Society today announced the full talent lineup for its Explorers Festival, a weeklong celebration of exploration, science and innovation in Washington, D.C., June 12-18. This year’s event welcomes a fascinating community of scientists and conservationists, storytellers and change-makers for two days of inspirational and thought-provoking presentations. Vital topics include new challenges in conservation, how citizen science is making a difference, transformative technology, and how storytelling can change the world.
Event highlights include:
Red Planet vs. Blue Planet
Saturday, June 17, 9:30 AM ET
Our host for the day, the entertaining environmental anthropologist and National Geographic 2011 Explorer of the Year Kenny Broad, hosts a journey from the surface of Mars to the depths of the ocean as the best and brightest explorers and storytellers discuss the future of exploration on this planet and across the galaxy. INCLUDES SPECIAL EVENT: Live taping of Neil deGrasse Tyson's popular television program Star Talk with James Cameron
Celebration of Exploration
Saturday, June 17, 5:30 PM ET
The biggest names in exploration pay tribute to the visionaries who push boundaries and change our world for the better. Festivities will begin with a reception featuring cuisines prepared by D.C.’s most celebrated chefs, complemented by cultural performances highlighting Nat Geo’s work around the world. The evening will continue in Lisner Auditorium with a show honoring awardees, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, photojournalist Brian Skerry, and clean-energy visionaries Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg of Solar Impulse, hosted by writer and comedian Mo Rocca, with filmmaker and explorer James Cameron, TV host Jason Silva and special performances by X Ambassadors lead singer Sam Harris and singer/songwriter India.Arie.
Tickets for public events are on sale now here. Not in D.C.? Watch the festival via livestream or on Facebook and join the conversation with #NatGeoFest.
View the full list of speakers and performers below:
Joel Achenbach, author and staff writer for The Washington Post
Constance Adams, space architect
Jennifer Adler, conservation photographer and cave diver
Ella Al-Shamahi, paleoanthropologist
India.Arie, singer and songwriter
Jonathan Baillie, Chief Scientist and SVP, Grants at the National Geographic Society
Bob Ballard, ocean explorer and Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island
Erika Bergman, submersible pilot
Kenny Broad, environmental anthropologist
James Cameron, filmmaker and Explorer
Ryan Carney, evolutionary biologist and epidemiologist
Jean Case, National Geographic Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Adjany Costa, conservationist and ichthyologist
Jessica Cramp, marine conservationist
Ronan Donovan, photographer
Nadia Drake, science journalist
Sylvia Earle, oceanographer
Bethany Ehlmann, planetary geologist
Federico Fanti, paleontologist and sedimentary geologist
Ira Flatow, radio and television journalist
Keolu Fox, human geneticist
Joe Grabowski, educator and scuba diver
Colonel Chris Hadfield, astronaut
Kevin Hand, planetary scientist/astrobiologist
Sam Harris, lead singer of X Ambassadors
M Jackson, geographer and glaciologist
Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of National Geographic Society
David Lang, entrepreneur and writer
Danielle N. Lee, biologist and outreach scientist
Jennifer Lopez, technologist and data scientist
Ricardo Moreno, wildlife conservationist
Mateus Mutemba, park warden and conservationist
Hotlin Ompusunggu, dentist and conservationist
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, environmental activist and geographer
Sarah Parcak, archeologist
Mo Rocca, CBS correspondent
Jane Root, CEO of Nutopia
Brooke Runnette, EVP and Chief Program Officer at the National Geographic Society
Enric Sala, marine ecologist
Jason Silva, futurist, philosopher, and host of Brain Games
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and StarTalk podcast host
Anand Varma, science photographer
Lucianne Walkowicz, astronomer
Grace C. Young, ocean engineer
Lily Zeng, Ph.D. candidate at Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Learn more about each of this year’s speakers and presenters here.
About the National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society is a leading nonprofit that invests in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and education. Through our grants and programs, we aspire to create a community of change, advancing key insights about our planet and probing some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time while ensuring that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global understanding. Our goal is measurable impact: furthering exploration and educating people around the world to inspire solutions for the greater good. For more information, visit http://www.nationalgeographic.org.
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Kelsey Flora, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, +1 (202) 807-3133, [email protected]
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