|
| 4a |
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
168,353,428
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
52,859,754
)
|
|
National Geographic Magazine is distributed mainly to members of the Society as a benefit of membership. A limited number of magazines are made available to non-members as corporate and library subscriptions. As a promotion for membership, the magazine is also sold on newsstands.In 2013 National Geographic Magazine was circulated worldwide both in English and in 38 local-language editions. One in four readers now peruses the Magazine in a language other than English.Each month National Geographic Magazine published five to seven feature stories and multiple short articles (1-2 pages), all carefully reported and fact-checked, stunningly photographed, and graphically illustrated. In 2013 National Geographic Magazine published 68 feature articles, over 200 additional pages of shorter journalistic pieces, and 2 supplemental posters. Subject areas included adventure, archaeology, the environment, exploration, health, history, human culture, natural history, science, technology, wildlife, and world affairs. The senior editors regularly weigh the merits of story proposals and decide which to develop into full-length magazine articles that are relevant and insightful for the general public-articles that will educate and inform readers about the world, and to inspire them to care about the planet and be active stewards of its resources. The Society's Research Division verifies all facts before publication to produce the most accurate and fairest reporting possible.In the realm of science, in 2013 National Geographic Magazine presented major articles about the potential of exploring deep space and ultimately other worlds (January); a cover story on the history of our solar system, as well as a field trip to Mars and close-up portraits of the Curiosity rover (July); the rise of unmanned aerial vehicles through the application of newly developed technologies (March); an exploration of the history of sugar and how it has become a universal diet staple (August); an account of the fatal last tornado chased by veteran storm-chaser, and National Geographic Society grantee, Tim Samaras (November); and a look at how laser-scanning technology will be used in the restoration of Mount Rushmore and other historical structures around the world (December).Culture and politics were covered in a variety of articles throughout the year, ranging from a look at the dramatic industrial transformation of Fuling, China (March); to the traditional folk and pagan and festivals still occurring today across Europe (April); we looked at the cultural and political elements of Nigeria, and the deep-seated tensions between groups in Africa's most populous country; we also explored how whaling supports communities in Norway in contemporary times (June); an account was published of how song birds are illegally hunted in Europe as delicacies in restaurants or markets (July); a celebration of the annual hay harvest in Northern Romania, a tradition which goes back more than a thousand years (July); and a similarly long-standing tradition of painting and decorating elephants in India during the annual Rajasthan Elephant Festival located in Jaipur, India (August). These features and others took our members on a journey exploring cultural issues and traditions across the world.The Magazine continued to explore and share the wonders of the natural world and our environment, as well as the issues affecting them. We looked at the illegal logging of mahogany in Peru (April); the environmental impacts of the world's reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer that fuels global food production (May); the impacts of rising sea levels and disappearing glaciers around the world on land and coastal cities (September and October); the effects on the environment, landscapes, and communities of fracking technology in extracting fossil fuels in the U.S. (March).Articles focusing on natural history went to the Basankusu and Ituri forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo to look at how the bonobos have survived and adapted (March); we also visited Russia's World Heritage Site at Wrangel Island and its animal inhabitants (May); investigated the seed dispersing ability of one of the world's heaviest birds now numbering less than a thousand as a species, the cassowary, in Papua New Guinea and northern Australia (September); an in-depth look at the lions of the Serengeti, with nearly two-years of field time for the photographer, including their history as a species and human-wildlife conflicts (July); the far-ranging cougars of North America were tracked and photographed, while we explored the impact of regulated hunting and cougar-human interaction in urban areas (December); and the Yacare caiman species (a small-medium sized crocodile) in South America that were almost hunted to extinction before being protected and ultimately recovering and thriving (July).Adventure has always been a focus with National Geographic Magazine, and in 2013 Bob Ballard, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, began a 10-year project to explore and map the ocean floor off the coast of U.S. territory with huge potential for scientific discovery (November); National Geographic Society grantee Paul Salopek began a seven-year walk tracing the path of human ancestors out of Africa, and we ventured with him on that extraordinary endeavor (December); the current state of climbing the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, was profiled (June). The year began with an exploration of Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, which holds incredible biodiversity, uncontacted native peoples, and billions of dollars of oil (January). These articles took our members to unique, breathtaking, and oftentimes dangerous locations to share in the sense of adventure. On the subject of archaeology, National Geographic Magazine presented an exploration of Libya's previously neglected ancient Greek and Roman archaeological structures (February); explorers went into Latin America and deep into underground caves called cenotes in order to explore how the Maya used them for religious ceremonies, offerings, and rituals (August); the Denisovans of Southeast Asia and their millennia-long journey genetically linking them to modern humans were profiled (July). Unique and beautiful landscapes around the world were showcased as well: fine-art photographer Abelardo Morell used a camera obscura to take stunning pictures of national parks across the U.S. (October); and the Magazine published dramatic photographs of gardens at night combined with an exploration of historical, cultural and social traditions associated with them (March). Articles focusing on the history of exploration and changing sea levels informed readers with tear-out posters showing a projected world map with melting glaciers (September) and a timeline of adventures and expeditions through human history (June). Overall, the Magazine provides coverage of the Society's research and exploration grantees working across scientific disciplines. In 2013, it published 17 feature stories and five short articles highlighting their work. Throughout the year, Magazine staff members gave lectures, led workshops, participated in professional programs, reviewed graphic and photographic portfolios, and judged photography and writing contests domestically and internationally. Organizations for which our staff members contributed their professional expertise included: the Annenberg Space for Photography; the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival; the Eddie Adams Workshop; FotoVisura at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival; FotoWeek DC; Look3; Palm Springs Photo Festival; Photo District News; Photofest Queretaro 2013 in Queretaro, Mexico; PhotoLux Festival Internazionale di Fotografia in Lucco, Italy; PhotoNOLA; PhotoPlus; Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado; National Press Photographers Association; the Society of Environmental Journalists; the Special Olympics; New York Public Library; Visa Pour l'image in Perpignan, France; Texas Photographic Society; the Tim Hetherington Grant; the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, and the American Copy Editors Society. Universities benefiting from contributions from Magazine staff include George Washington University; George Mason University, Mary Washington University, and the University of Missouri, New York University. Staff presented at local high schools and elementary schools, and gave numerous tours of our headquarters in D.C. to visiting students. Staff members served on the boards of professional organizations including the International League of Conservation Photographers, the American Society of Magazine Editors, and Wildscreen.2013 Average Worldwide Circulation: 6,273,424Expenses $168,353,428. including grants of $ 0. Revenue $52,859,754 |
|
| 4b |
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
102,105,757
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
100,431,326
)
|
|
Books & Other Related Products:The Society publishes books to inspire people to care about the planet and to educate readers about geography and related subjects. Among the various books the Society published in 2013 was an elegant tribute to National Geographic's 125 years of rousing history with On Assignment With National Geographic: The Inside Story of Legendary Explorers, Photographers, and Adventurers, containing the epic moments and riveting photographs that have made National Geographic one of the most respected scientific & educational institutions in the world. The Society also published Inside the White House: Stories From the World's Most Famous Residence in association with the White House Historical Association presenting a fascinating, comprehensive, and authoritative overview of the nation's first house featuring never-before-published stories and photographs. Tigers Forever: Saving the World's Most Endangered Big Cat, by award-winning photographer Steve Winter, is a testament to these endangered animals telling the story in pictures and words of committed people around the world who dedicate their lives to saving the tiger from extinction. Further examples of among the 60+ books published in 2013 include: National Geographic Global Atlas, a comprehensive picture of the world today with more than 300 new maps, innovative infographics, and engaging illustrations; The Science of Everything: How Things Work in Our World, a profusely illustrated book explaining the science behind all the machines, gadgets, systems, and processes we take for granted; from best-selling author and gifted storyteller Winston Groom, The Aviators which tells the fascinating saga of three extraordinary aviators Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmie Doolittle and how they redefined heroism through their genius, daring, and uncommon courage; The Hidden Lives of Wolves, a book by filmmakers Jim and Jamie Dutcher with a foreword by Robert Redford, presents a unique, heartfelt, and clear-sighted vision of wolves and a passionate plea for new respect and understanding of the wolf's role in nature; Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, by celebrated astronaut and bestselling author Buzz Aldrin who boldly advocates continuing exploration of our solar system; Secrets of the National Parks, a one-of-a-kind innovative guide that helps readers discover national parks surprises such as solo views of elk herds, fields of wildflowers, summit sunsets, and much more..away from the well-traveled tourists trails; and National Geographic Illustrated Guide to Nature, bursting with beautiful images and completely authoritative text, a field guide to help families and amateur adventurers enjoy and understand nature from wilderness camping to their own backyards.The Society's books have been translated into more than 38 languages and are distributed throughout the world. The Society also sells magazine and map storage slipcases, a selection of calendars and diaries, globes, videos, geography-related toys for children, and other related products. Expenses $102,105,757. including grants of $ 0. Revenue $100,431,326 |
|
| 4c |
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
24,203,040
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
27,468,412
)
|
|
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS (NG KIDS) magazine is published ten times a year and distributed to individuals, schools, and public libraries. The magazine's mission is to excite kids about learning while educating them about the world around them. Prepared primarily for children ages 6 to 14 years old, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS offers an appealing mix of articles on wildlife, science, technology, pets, adventures, special kids, and geography. For its work in 2013, the magazine received a Parents' Choice Recommended award, and the app won an Appy Award as well as an Honorable Mention for Best Educational App from the Cynopsis !magination Awards.Examples of NG KIDS activities in 2013 include a "Special Awesome Animals Issue;" an interview with First Lady Michelle Obama to encourage kids to visit national parks; publication of two animal Collector's Card sets; feature stories on animals such as frogs, lions, arctic foxes, and lynxes, plus robots, underground skyscrapers, bugs, asteroids, presidents, and underwater caves; pullout posters with fun animal facts; popular departments such as "Cool Inventions," "Guinness World Records," "Weird But True," "Bet You Didn't Know," "Amazing Animals;" new departments such as "Chew on This" (food), "Destination Space," "Dare to Explore;" and "Fun Stuff," a regular seven-page department filled with educational games, quizzes, and activities. To encourage kids to get outside and explore their world through photography, NG KIDS announced a new Guinness World Records attempt for the largest online photo album of animals. More than 104,000 people took photos of animals in nature to set the record, which was successfully confirmed in November 2013. The record also encouraged readers to participate in National Geographic's Great Nature Project, a citizen science initiative that activates nature enthusiasts to identify photographs flora and fauna in their environment in one curated database. The winners of our annual International Photography Contest for Kids were announced in the May 2013 issue. As part of the Society's Big Cats Initiative, NG KIDS asked readers to help protect lions by sending in donations to build bomas, fence-like structures that protect domesticated animals from predators such as lions, which help reduce retaliation against the big cats. Readers raised more than $2,500, enough for three bomas. For extra content, NG KIDS also included scanning technology, in which kids downloaded a free app to scan photos and receive extra digital content, such as videos and quizzes, on their mobile devices.NG KIDS continued to reach audiences in 2013 through its interactive iPad magazine app. The app contains the same educational content parents expect from the print edition, but with compelling interactivity to engage readers. Now they can watch videos of the animals and science they're reading about, and sound effects make stories and departments come to life. Photos are bolder and more engaging, text is broken into digestible bite-size pieces, and educational games are now touch-and-play. Other content--such as Collector's Cards information--has been turned into fun quizzes and games.The print edition of NG KIDS is also available as a PDF replica on the Nook and Android devices.Additionally in 2013, there were 16 international editions of NG KIDS, published in 15 different foreign languages: Turkish, Spanish, Slovenian, Mongolian, Lithuanian, Italian, Hebrew, German, English, Dutch, Chinese, Bulgarian, Bahasa, Arabic, and Afrikaans.2013 Average Worldwide Circulation of NG KIDS: 1,488,276Expenses $ 24,203,040. including grants of $ 0. Revenue $ 27,468,412 |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
20,933,470
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
18,694,688
)
|
|
National Geographic Traveler (NG Traveler), both in print and on the tablet, is published eight times a year to further geographic knowledge with articles that explore the geography, history, and culture of selected locations. Every article's purpose is to foster interest in the educational value of travel destinations by encouraging readers to experience geography and the world's cultures first-hand. A pioneer in promoting sustainable tourism, NG Traveler believes that enhancing an authentic sense of place benefits both travelers and the locations they visit. In support of this sustainable-tourism ethic, the magazine published several landmark articles in 2013, its 29th year.Its third "Best of the World" showcased unique destinations around the world that demonstrably pursue sustainable practices and honor distinctive sense of place (complemented by an online version plus four seasonal "Best Trips" web packages). The second annual "Travelers of the Year" program honored 10 nominees who travel with purpose--looking to help others (and themselves) through the act of travel. NG Traveler launched the annual "Traveler 50: People, Places and Ideas Changing the Way We Travel" and ran its 8th annual "Tours of a Lifetime," 50 of the world's best guided trips. Other features covered "America's Cathedrals," the nation's most sacred places; Kenneth Brower's Antarctica; 10 Jaw-Dropping International Drives; "World's Best Lodges"; "Return to Your Roots"--five writers who explored their ancestry and a guide to help readers do the same (also tied to the NG book "Journeys Home"); "Europe's Best Small Ports"; "In the Desert with the Real Bedouin"; and destination pieces from Kenya, Hawaii, and Singapore to Quebec's wilds, Casablanca, and the Beaujolais area of France. NG Traveler continues to increase its global network of travel andgeographical experts, who contribute insider accounts of the world'sgreatest destinations and introduce noteworthy off-the-radar placesthat reward the geographically and culturally curious traveler. All ofthis content is complemented by vibrant and distinctive photography.In 2013 NG Traveler received seven awards including:Three Lowell Thomas Awards --Gold in the US/ Canada Travel Article category for Bruce Shoenfeld's "Radio Days" --Gold in the Photo Illustration of Travel category for Jim Richardson's "My Scottish Obsession"--Silver in the Special Package / Project category for Editor-at-Large George W. Stone's "Travelers of the Year"Four FOLIO awards--Honorable Mention in the Single Article category for Liz Beatty's "Going Home"--Honorable Mention in the Full Issue category for the October 2012 issue--Honorable Mention in the Website category--Honorable Mention in the Best Use of Photography category for Jim Richardson's "A Scottish Obsession"NG Traveler's popular blog, Intelligent Travel, continued to deliverauthentic travel news to an expanding online audience, buoyed by socialmedia efforts that reach millions of Facebook fans and Twitter followers and engage new audiences with the National Geographic Society's mission. In 2013 NG Traveler continued to increase its international readership,publishing 15 local language editions in the following languages: Spanish (Latin America and Iberia), Russian, Romanian, Polish, Mongolian, Italian, Hebrew, English, Dutch, Czech, Chinese, and Bahasa. 2013 Average Worldwide Circulation: 1,096,541 |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
17,885,205
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
14,512,169
)
|
|
National Geographic Digital Media is responsible for extending the Society's print, video, education, research and exploration to digital audiences on a global scale. In 2013 we focused on increasing news offerings on science and discoveries. As a result we recorded more than 54,000,000 Web sessions for news content. The service is free to the public, with the goal of providing reliable information about our changing planet and information about ecosystems and cultural heritage. The critical issues explored by Digital Media in 2013 included agriculture, water, energy, oceans, climate, biodiversity and cultures. This occurred across the Web as well as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other digital platforms. Digital Media also partnered with other nonprofit institutions, inviting experts in related fields to participate in our blogging platform on important subjects, including conservation, science, and exploration. Digital Media published news stories and videos on Society activities in addition to building communities around critical issues such as awareness of ocean health (Ocean Views); research and conservation of the world's wild cats (Cat Watch); promoting awareness of water usage and consumption (Water Currents); as well as a platform for NG grantees to share experiences, observations, and scientific discoveries online (Explorers Journal). |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
5,665,306
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
6,498,088
)
|
|
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS (NG LITTLE KIDS) magazine is published six times a year and distributed to individuals, schools, and public libraries. The magazine's mission is to excite preschoolers about exploring their world. Prepared primarily for children ages 3 to 6 years old, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS offers an appealing mix of articles on wildlife, science, pets, nature, and geography, as well as skill-building educational games, mazes, and activities. For its work in 2013, NG LITTLE KIDS won a Parents' Choice Gold Award for the seventh year in a row. Examples of NG LITTLE KIDS activities in 2013 include publication of six collector's card sets about animals plus feature stories on animals such as polar bears, fawns, cheetahs, parrots, sea otters, and lynxes. NG LITTLE KIDS also introduces preschoolers to science and nature through stories about dinosaurs, trees, and the sun.NG LITTLE KIDS continued its PDF version of the print magazine on the Nook and Android devices.Additionally in 2013, there were 2 international editions of NG LITTLE KIDS.2013 Average Worldwide Circulation of NG LITTLE KIDS: 379,014 |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
19,890,189
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
24,899,913
)
|
|
Children's Book PublishingThe Society's Children's Book Publishing program continued to enhance its family reference library with three strong titles in 2013 Space Encyclopedia, an ultimate reference book by David Aguilar bringing young space explorers the most exciting and recent discoveries in the universe; Treasury of Egyptian Mythology with the words of lyrical storyteller Donna Jo Napoli and the lavish artwork of Christina Balit, dramatizing for young readers the classic and timeless tales of Egyptian gods, goddesses, monster, and mortals; and Ultimate Bugopedia, compiling the definitive reference resource for children ages 7-10, in a book crawling with fascinating facts, lively text, and tons of colorful images of the world's coolest insects. In 2013, the Society also published the annual installment of National Geographic Kids Almanac 2014 and is also available in distinct Canadian, UK, and International editions. These almanacs are packed with fun-to-browse features, useful reference material, homework help developed by educators, and the kind of quirky facts that kids adore. Other notable children's titles published in 2013 were Master George's People: George Washington, His Slaves, and His Revolutionary Transformation shining light on the lives of George Washington's slaves and helping to better understand the outlook and conscience of America's first president; National Geographic Kids World Atlas, the classic atlas for kids ages 8-12 complete with geo-themed games, crosswords, and picture puzzles for today's young explorers; National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America, bringing the fun and amazement of beautiful birds to kids; and The World Is Waiting from award-winning author Barbara Kerley, a stunning book that inspires young children to become imaginative and encourages them to explore the world beyond its surface. Our Children's Book Publishing program continued to build presence in the schools and public libraries by releasing several new titles in our very popular National Geographic Readers and National Geographic Chapters series, which are comprised of leveled-reading, easy-to-read formatted books, developed in concert with experts in the field of literacy education, which get kids reading by giving them lots of cool information about subjects that matter to them. We publish the National Geographic Kids Everything series, aimed at kids ages 8-12, breathing new life into the reference category with fresh, dynamic, and fun-filled presentations of the nonfiction subjects kids love most. The National Geographic Little Kids Look and Learn series, published for kids ages 3-6, include board books developed in association with child education experts, sure to thrill preschoolers and parents alike as they encourage interactivity and self-discovery among all children with engaging visuals and fun themes. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
10,843,391
including grants of $
150,109
) (Revenue $
16,056,319
)
|
|
TRAVEL--EXPEDITIONSThe Society's travel program, National Geographic Expeditions, enables members to visit, experience, and learn first-hand about the history, archaeology, geography, and culture of destinations around the world. Members and other participants travel with Society experts such as explorers, writers, and researchers on carefully planned journeys emphasizing enrichment and experiential learning. The expeditions include lectures by experts and suggested pre-tour reading materials, and are designed to encourage further study of the geographic areas visited.The National Geographic Student Expeditions Scholarship Program provides financial support for students seeking educational summer experiences who could not otherwise afford them. The program provides educational travel opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds and enhances the group dynamic and the learning opportunities for everyone involved. In 2013, National Geographic awarded full scholarships to 25 students from all around the country to participate in a National Geographic Student Expedition - the Society's high school student travel program. These scholarship students traveled to different countries on trips focusing on Photography, Wildlife & Conservation, Community Service, Archaeology & Ancient Cultures, and Creative Writing. They reported back that the experience had a significant positive effect on their lives and transformed their outlook on the world. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
5,492,185
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
2,976,242
)
|
|
National Geographic LiveThe Society provides speakers and other live event programming to audiences around the U.S. and internationally, through the National Geographic Live program of public events and by arranging for speakers to appear at museums, universities, corporations and other organizations through the National Geographic Speakers Bureau.National Geographic Live also offers Student Matinees featuring National Geographic explorers (NG Explorers) in live presentations around North America. As leaders in their fields, these explorers offer students fresh and exciting knowledge from the front lines of discovery. And as passionate individuals focused on expanding the boundaries of knowledge, NG explorers offer powerful role models for students. Through National Geographic Live, National Geographic Live Student Matinees, and the National Geographic Speakers Bureau, the Society reached 207,792 individuals through 288 speaker events, student matinees, performances, and film screenings that took place both at the Society's headquarters in Washington, D.C. and in 78 other locations across North America and internationally. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
7,804,359
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
7,164,526
)
|
|
IMAGE SALESPhotographs shot principally by National Geographic photographers are made available to the general public, through the Image Sales division. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
2,683,640
including grants of $
50,000
) (Revenue $
2,139,462
)
|
|
The National Geographic Bee/Giant Traveling MapsThe NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE is a competition for public schools, private schools, and homeschools in the United States and its territories, as well as Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS). Students in grades four through eight compete to win $85,000 in scholarships and other prizes. In 2013 nearly 4 million students from close to 12,000 schools participated in this contest. Up to 100 school winners per state go on to compete in the state competition, and the winning state champions travel to the Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. to compete in the finals. The National Geographic World Championship consists of teams of three students from countries around the world, competing against each other. The World Championship, generally conducted every other year, was held in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2013.The Giant Traveling Maps program features oversized (26' x 26') vinyl floor maps of Africa, Asia, North America, South America, the Pacific Ocean, and Europe that can be rented by schools for two or more weeks. Activities included with the map and are designed to take advantage of the scale and to allow students to experience the map in a physical way. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EDUCATION FOUNDATION (NGEF)The National Geographic Society Education Foundation (NGEF) was established to commemorate the Society's centennial in 1988. With a mission "to support, promote and advance geographic education in the United States, Canada and elsewhere," the Foundation promotes improved teacher quality and classroom learning. Proposals are solicited from universities and other nonprofits for innovative projects. Since its inception, the Education Foundation has worked in programmatic partnership with other private donors and state governments to support university-hosted Geography Alliances--statewide partnerships between academic professors and K-12 teachers to provide professional development, networking and more. In many cases, the Education Foundation supports individual Alliances through dedicated, state-specific endowments, called Geography Education Funds. While the Foundation emphasizes improvement of geographic literacy in the United States, select work is also supported in Canada and Puerto Rico.The Foundation's staff works with external evaluators and encourages grantees to assess programs and projects to determine the value of geographic education to student achievement on state and national standards, and to demonstrate the essential role of geography as an educational priority and a core component of K-12 academic curricula.In 2013, the Foundation made 62 grants totaling more than $2.9 million. Examples of work funded by these grants are as follows:Mississippi Geographic AllianceThe activities of the Mississippi Geographic Alliance (MGA) advance a mission of providing high-quality services and resources in support of educational efforts in Mississippi that prepare young people to embrace a diverse world, succeed in the global economy, and steward the planet's resources. NGEF grant funds supported a full-time project manager, fundraising support, professional development activities for K-12 teachers and education students, student outreach (including the Giant Map of the United States program), and Geography Awareness Week and other outreach activities related to increasing geographic literacy in the state of Mississippi. ($156,423 grant award)Vermont Geographic AllianceNGEF grant funds allowed the Vermont Geographic Alliance (VGA) to carry out educational outreach, communications, and membership training projects, as well as the development of an important teaching resource. The VGA promoted geography education in schools and among the general public by holding a Geography Awareness Week kickoff event, offering workshops, and scheduling visits of the National Geographic Giant Traveling Maps, as well as the VGA's own Vermont Traveling Map. The Alliance trained new members for the Steering and Strategic Planning committees. The VGA initiated the second phase of a project to create a Vermont-based Common Core Resource Guide to be used in elementary-level social studies classes on Vermont history. ($29,000 grant award)NatureBridgeThe mission of NatureBridge, a nonprofit organization based in California, is to engage students from all ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic circumstances in a range of transformative science education programs. A 2013 grant from NGEF allowed NatureBridge to provide essential tuition assistance to underserved, low-income schools, allowing their students to participate in hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences in nature's classroom. These experiences transform the way they see the world around them and their role as citizens of the planet. NatureBridge's educational activities are built on a proven, evidence-based Core Educational Framework (CEF) developed by representatives from the National Science Foundation and Stanford University, among others and customized to align with state and national science standards. The CEF consists of three themes: (1) Sense of Place: orienting students in their natural surroundings; (2) Interconnections: developing students' ability to connect to the natural world and understand the complex connections between all living things; and (3) Stewardship: teaching students how to contribute to the environmental health of the planet and live by sustainable principles. ($80,839 grant award)NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS (NGEP)The mission of the National Geographic Education Programs group (NGEP) is to maximize the impact of the National Geographic Society's diverse research and communications programs on education, as well as to promote geographic literacy through formal and informal settings. Through its award-winning, free website for educators--NatGeoEd.org--NGEP delivers high quality educational materials keyed to state and national standards for learning in K-12 classrooms and informal settings. NGEP also designs and provides professional development opportunities for educators--both in-person and online--as well as conducting research, materials and platform development, and outreach programs in areas such as geography and mapping, social studies, environmental science, and citizen science.The NGEP staff works with the Society's other divisions to design learning experiences for students and the community that draw on National Geographic's rich and diverse media products, scientific exploration, and grantees and creates curricular materials and educational guides for exhibits, live events, and other initiatives.National Geographic Education OnlineThe NGEP website and social media channels are the primary methods of dissemination and communication for NGEP's products and programs, which provide world-class learning resources and rich multimedia assets for educators in both formal and informal settings, as well as for students and caregivers. NGEP creates free instructional materials aligned with national education standards, and continues to conduct professional development through the offering of massive open online courses (MOOCs).In 2013, National Geographic Education Programs continued to maintain its partnership with the Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity Consortium and enhance its website www.natgeoed.org. Major online updates and priorities included: ensuring the website was 'mobile-friendly' with a total of 5,060 new and revised mobile-ready resources; development of several mobile apps with their public launch targeted for 2014; and the creation of 4,521 new resources housed in the digital content library. NGEP works in partnership with other national organizations to increase the quality and availability of learning opportunities. Over the course of 2013, the NGEP website received more than 12.5 million visits, and the social media following increased over 400% from 2012.MapMaker Interactive In 2013, National Geographic continued to support and develop its MapMaker Interactive tool, an online interactive that brings the power of interactive mapping to educators and learners of all ages. The MapMaker Interactive had over 1 million visits in 2013 and is the single most popular resource on the National Geographic Education website. The team at National Geographic began a design process to update the tool to work on hand-held tablets, as they are becoming increasingly popular in learning environments. The design and launch of the tablet-friendly version of the tool is scheduled in 2014. Teacher Professional Development:National Geographic Education has delivered teacher professional development programs for over 25 years to prepare leaders in education and in support of our dual missions to inspire people to care about the planet and to prepare teachers to inspire their students. Grosvenor Teacher Fellow ProgramThe Grosvenor Teacher Fellow (GTF) program is an in-person professional development opportunity made possible by National Geographic Education and Lindblad Expeditions. The primary goal of the GTF program is to advance geographic literacy by engaging K-12 educators from the United States and Canada in field-based experiences that will be reflected in their teaching practice and shared with their professional and community networks. Selected educators travel aboard a Lindblad Expeditions ship to experience some of the world's most amazing places first-hand. While aboard, Fellows share the importance of geographic education with other travelers, develop activities to bring back to their classrooms, and have an adventure of a lifetime. In 2013, more than 500 educators applied for the Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program and fourteen educators were selected. These selected Fellows traveled in groups of 2 or 3 on one of six expeditions traveling to Arctic Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian High Arctic. Prior to their expeditions all Fellows traveled to National Geographic headquarters for a 3-day hands-on preparatory workshop. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS, cont.Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)Online courses allow us to offer professional development opportunities to more educators and allow educators to take advantage of the flexible timing offered by these platforms, often used as a component of a program that includes face-to-face interactions as well. NGEP has designed two MOOCs using different formats, durations, platforms and instructional design approaches.The first of these courses is entitled Water: The Essential Resource and was developed with funding from Annenberg Learner and the Annenberg Foundation. It was designed, developed, and administered by NGEP and the overarching goal of the program is to increase environmental education in classrooms across the state of California in support of the Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI).The course ran from October 9th through December 4th, 2013. Graduate level extension semester units were available through the University of San Diego. The Evaluation and Training Institute (ETI), a non-profit evaluation firm specializing in educational program evaluations, partnered with National Geographic and evaluated the program. By the end of the course participants reported increased confidence across all items related to the learning objectives, teaching practice and resource use. The results were statistically significant, which is a positive indication that these gains are a direct result of participation in the course and not a result of chance.The second course was entitled Facilitating Learning through Outdoor Watershed (FLOW) Education. This online course emphasized the use of geo-literacy as a framework for teaching about watershed topics for both science and social studies teachers. The course supported educators in teaching watershed topics by providing them with background information, sample lessons and activities, and instructional strategies for their learning environments.As part of the NOAA-funded Chesapeake Bay Initiative, an outdoor education professional development initiative spearheaded by National Geographic Education and implemented by eight of the Geographic Alliances, FLOW Education delivered online professional development to teachers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.Both courses will be run again in the coming year.Geography Awareness Week (GeoWeek)The goal of Geography Awareness Week (GeoWeek) is to raise awareness about the deficiency of geography in American education and to excite people about geography both as a discipline and as a part of everyday life. This annual public awareness program (celebrated every third week of November) encourages citizens young and old to think and learn about the interconnectedness of our world.GeoWeek puts a focus on geography through events, lessons, games, and challenges that are designed to increase the visibility of geography as a social science, to educate young people and adults about geographic concepts, and to encourage active participation. The public is also urged to engage in the cause of improving geography education in our nation's schools by getting involved, and bringing the message to policymakers and business leaders.In 2013, the GeoWeek theme "Geography: A New Age of Exploration" was developed in concert with the National Geographic Society-wide celebration of its own 125th Anniversary. This year, we also launched the GeoWeek Campus Challenge. This program aimed to recruit college and university students as GeoWeek Representatives, or advocates, of geography. A call to action was released on social media and the NatGeoEd blog asking students to do a series of activities for which they could earn points. After completing the activities and a survey, qualified Campus Challenge Representatives were awarded a certificate of recognition and a video of thanks from NG Chief Cartographer Juan Valdes. A dozen people were recognized in 2013, having organized creative, high quality events and promotional activities. Much of the on-the-ground work for GeoWeek is done by a group of state-level volunteers from the Network of Alliances for Geography Education. In 2013 there were more than 50 active GeoWeek Coordinators who donated their time, expertise, and passion to the program and reported back to NGEP about state-level activities. Reported events included school and community festivals, visits to gubernatorial offices, statewide competitions, teacher workshops, and school projects. In addition to the grassroots Alliance volunteers, GeoWeek draws like-minded national, state and local partner organizations (like the National Council for Geographic Education, ESRI, Association of American Geographers, Geocaching.org, etc.) who engage their own member networks in participation in geography-related activities.During GeoWeek, National Geographic and the state geography alliances conducted an extensive media outreach effort to call attention to the importance of geographic education. The number of engaged GeoWeek Facebook users grew by more than 200% and, once again, National Geographic's education portal, NatGeoEd.org, recorded peak 2013 traffic during Geography Awareness Week. Educational Outreach For Other National Geographic DivisionsNGEP works with other divisions and platforms of the Society to help bring their content into the classroom and informal education venues. An example of this kind of work done in 2013 is described here:Battle for the ElephantsA National Geographic film and PBS special, Battle for the Elephants explores the brutal slaughter of African elephants for their tusks, fueled largely by China's demand for ivory. The film tells the story of how this charismatic and majestic land animal today faces market forces driving the value of its tusks to levels once reserved for gold. With the generous support of David H. Koch, Scott Asen, the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and PBS, NGEP developed supporting educational resources including short videos for the classroom using footage from the film, articles from the National Geographic Magazine with teacher supports, and appropriate reference maps. The collection is available online at http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/battle-for-elephants/?ar_a=1. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
13,929,658
including grants of $
3,998,931
) (Revenue $
321,991
)
|
|
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS, cont.Citizen ScienceNational Geographic Education brings powerful citizen science experiences to our broad global audience and builds capacity for citizen science through our programs and technology platforms. In 2013, NGEP's citizen science initiative consisted of a variety of projects and a range of partnerships, as well as work to expand and strengthen the emerging field of citizen science. Great Nature ProjectA flagship citizen science program is the Great Nature Project (GNP), which was initiated in 2013. GNP is a worldwide celebration of the planet. People of all ages take pictures of organisms and share those pictures through the GNP website. Photos are aggregated from several popular sharing platforms, making it easy to participate. Participation in the Great Nature Project benefits the science community by sharing high quality data with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, which is an open source of international data. FieldScopeAnother major citizen science project is FieldScope, a free online interactive mapping platform designed for citizen scientists, educators, and learners. Since 2008, a wide variety of educational and scientific organizations have used FieldScope to engage people in monitoring and studying water quality, biodiversity, and other topics of societal importance. FieldScope also offers organizations an easy way to publish existing data, making valuable information available to the public through a simple interface. In 2013, a new version of the platform was launched, featuring enhanced functionality and usability. Enhancements were made to allow for easier exploration of maps and data layers, and for additional opportunities to share observations collected in the field. BioBlitz 2013National Geographic and the National Park Service continue to partner on the BioBlitz program, an annual 24-hour species inventory event engaging citizen scientists of all ages. Participants explore the biodiversity of a national park while building awareness of the natural environment and contributing to scientific study. For all participants, a BioBlitz experience has the potential to inspire new generations of conservation biologists, biogeographers, naturalists, and conscientious citizens. BioBlitz 2013: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park And Preserve, New Orleans, LouisianaThe Society worked with Jean Lafitte National Historical Park And Preserve (JELA) to engage 1,500 students and teachers and an additional 1,500 members of the surrounding community in this year's BioBlitz, held May 17-18, 2013. More than 100 scientists teamed with students, educators, and others to explore the park's ecosystems, identifying as many species as possible. Society staff, Sean O'Connor and Anne Haywood, worked with Stacy Lafayette from the park to plan for and recruit student participants for the event. Several Society initiatives contributed to the reach and impact of the BioBlitz 2013:--Macroinvertebrate study, Field Notebooks, and FieldScope project: The Society joined with the park's education team to engage 1,500 students and their teachers in a species inventory project studying the preserve's terrestrial and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Students recorded data in terrestrial and aquatic field notebooks, and data was added to the scientists' data as some of the first dataset for this preserve. --Professional Development in the Preserve: In separate Saturday sessions, 30 teachers joined staff from the Society and the park to learn the field techniques needed for the macroinvertebrate inventories and activities for the classroom and schoolyard before and after the event.--FieldScope activities: the Society developed student activities to extend learning about the park, biodiversity, and wetlands on www.natgeoed.org/bioblitz. These included Exploring Ecosystems Using GIS, Biodiversity in a Wetland Ecosystem, Hydrology of the New Orleans Region, and Mapping the Mississippi.--Great Nature Project: Timing of the 2013 BioBlitz aligned with kickoff of the Great Nature Project, so outreach was included through communications, the festival exhibit, and a Great Nature Project mission on Project Noah.--Project Noah: Using the Project Noah mobile application on smartphones, 75 participants uploaded more than 200 spottings to the Jean Lafitte BioBlitz mission, which were then displayed on FieldScope. Smartphones lent by Verizon were used for Project Noah by Society staff, the BioBlitz student ambassadors, and a 6th grade class from Connecticut that attended the full two-day event.--Encyclopedia of Life (EOL): Society staff worked with EOL to develop collections for species likely to be encountered in the park. EOL contributed online memory and bingo games, as well as field guides that were used by students to identify and classify macroinvertebrates to the family level.--Video content: A team of videographers from the Society spread out across the preserve to capture the BioBlitz experience to help with future bioblitz and citizen science efforts.--Photobooth: Festival participants had their photographs taken with the yellow border and a Jean Lafitte National Historic Park background at the Society-led photo booth.--Social media: Society staff coordinated efforts on the NatGeoEd blog, Facebook, and Twitter; more than 3,000 people were talking about BioBlitz through our social media channels. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
7,274,632
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
1,758,541
)
|
|
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONSNational Geographic creates exhibitions that allow visitors to experience the mission of National Geographic in a unique and highly educational setting. Each year, the museum presents exhibitions and programs that expand on National Geographic content and extend the life of the stories that we tell not only in Washington, but in Museums around the country and around the world.The National Geographic Museum (NG Museum) welcomed 145,000 visitors in 2013 including 30,000 students and school groups. The audience for the museum includes local residents, national and international tourists, military personnel, congressional members and staff, the diplomatic community, school groups and students from around the region and beyond. Many of the exhibitions that originate at the National Geographic Museum are then offered to other museums around the U.S. and internationally so the audiences continue to grow for these projects even after they close in Washington. Highlights from the 2013 year are listed below.REAL PIRATES: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE WYDAH FROM SLAVE SHIP TO PIRATE SHIP - March 9 September 8, 2013This fascinating exhibition, developed by National Geographic and Arts and Exhibitions International in 2007, tells the story of a slave ship turned pirate ship and the diverse people whose lives converged on the vessel. The Whydah, the only authenticated pirate ship discovered off the American coast, was discovered by explorer Barry Clifford. Clifford has been recovering artifacts from this famous find ever since. The exhibition has traveled to 9 U.S. cities and was hosted by NG Museum in 2013. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AT 125: THE FUTURE OF EXPLORATION June 13, 2013 August 17, 2014National Geographic at 125 was a highly experiential and interactive exhibit celebrated modern exploration and captured some of the great moments in the National Geographic Society's 125 year history. From the Society's 1888 beginnings as a scientific organization to the latest achievements, the exhibition profiled legendary and contemporary explorers who dare to go where others have not. From Jacques Cousteau's revelations of life under the sea to James Cameron's record breaking descent to the floor of the Mariana Trench, the exhibition celebrated the stories and images that have inspired, informed and entertained generations from around the world. The Museum also presented 3 important photography exhibitions in 2013.Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment opened on October 10 and is a large traveling exhibition featuring the work of 11 photojournalists and assignment work from the last decade. The exhibition will travel to at least 5 additional US markets and is sponsored by PNC bank. The exhibition is accompanied by a companion book published by NG Books and a speaker series managed by the NG Speakers Bureau. Gardens by Night: Images by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel was a survey of a decade long project for this prolific pair of landscape photogrpahers. The work documents the beauty of some of world's most beautiful gardens photographed in moonlight. This project was the subject of a 2013 National Geographic magazine story. Lions & Tigers & Bears: Through the Lens with National Geographic, featured stunning images of three of the world's most treasured creatures - lions, tigers, and bears. Presenting a collection of 50 photos culled from the vast portfolios of three of National Geographic's top wildlife photojournalists, the exhibit opened at the National Geographic Museum's M Street gallery on Thursday, July 25. Comprising the work of National Geographic photographers Michael "Nick" Nichols, Steve Winter, and Paul Nicklen, "Lions & Tigers & Bears" was on view through February 2, 2014. TRAVELING EXHIBITIONSNational Geographic traveling exhibitions were hosted by venues around the world in 2013. Photography shows included, among others, National Geographic 125th anniversary exhibitions in 18 foreign countries as well as several high profile exhibits in the U.S. including National Geographic's 50 Greatest Photographs in Philadelphia and Las Vegas. BIRDS OF PARADISE: AMAZING AVIAN EVOLUTION This highly interactive and beautiful traveling exhibition was designed and created by the NG Museum and premiered at the NG Museum in November, 2012. The exhibition features the results of 8 years of research and exploration by NG wildlife photographer Tim Laman and Ornithologist Ed Scholes. Together, they mounted over 18 expeditions to New Guinea, becoming the first to document all 39 Bird of Paradise species. This fascinating project, funded by National Geographic and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, was covered across the Society, including in the Magazine and Books. The exhibition traveled to the Dennos Museum in Traverse City Michigan in the summer of 2013 and was on view at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh from October 13, 2013 through March 23, 2014.EARTH EXPLORERSNational Geographic worked with Global Experience Specialists to create a new traveling exhibition in 2013. Earth Explorers features the work of 15 National Geographic explorers working around the world. This highly experiential exhibition features many interactive and multi media displays, engaging photography and video and in-person accounts from some of our most popular photographers and explorers. The exhibition will travel across the U.S. and opened at the Iowa Science Center in Des Moines on September 28, 2013. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
11,108,158
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
7,340,237
)
|
|
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAPS (NG Maps) is a globally-renowned cartographic publisher and is responsible for illustrating the world through the art and science of mapmaking. The Maps Group supports the mission of the Society by creating the world's best wall maps, outdoor recreation maps, travel maps, atlases, and globes that inspire people to care about and explore the world. Printed maps were distributed not only to consumers but also to national parks, educational institutions, and government agencies. New titles that were developed in 2013 included to name just a few - the Appalachian Trail Reference Map, Railroad Legacy Map, Adventure Guatemala, Adventure Alps, Destination Map Four Corners, Allegheny National Forest, and Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. NG Maps also provided cartographic services to internal customers for maps which were included in books, atlases, magazines, the NG web site, apps, and as premiums for National Geographic magazine. Map projects during 2013 helped organizations promote tourism, facilitated stewardship of historic and natural resources, and highlighted many locations around the world. Through the NG Maps digital storytelling platform called GeoStories, organizations incorporated dynamic maps, multimedia, and narrative which enabled their viewers' to tour places and topics. Projects were completed related to sustainability (EnergyRealities.org), world heritage sites (Crown of the Continent), and conservation initiatives (EnvisiontheJames.org). |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
2,805,341
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
1,784,176
)
|
|
National Geographic Games & AppsGAMESNational Geographic's most popular game, Animal Jam, is an online virtual playground for children who love animals and the outdoors. This game provides a fun, exciting, and safe environment for kids to play online, while inspiring them to explore and protect the natural world outside their doors. Animal Jam is free from outside advertising and adheres to a strict privacy policy. Players are represented in the game with customizable animal avatars. The Society strives to ensure that players are constantly engaging in fun and enriching game play, while educating them about their role in conserving the planet. With players spanning the globe, the game introduces them to the fundamentals of socialization, teamwork, creativity, and global awareness.Animal Jam takes place in the world of Jamaa, where players can travel through various ecological environments such as prairie, rainforest and desert. Each environment features different National Geographic videos, interactive facts, and games. APPSThe Society develops apps to further its mission to inspire people to care about the planet and to educate people about geography and related subjects. The National Geographic World Atlas app enables you to browse, search, and zoom the world's best detailed maps of the globe. Unlike other atlas applications, the National Geographic World Atlas utilizes our highest resolution, "press-ready" images, providing you with the same rich detail, accuracy, and artistic beauty found in our award-winning wall maps and bound atlases. The app enables you to learn more about the world using the up-to-date, expertly researched Flags and Facts database, which contains concise geographic and socio-economic data. The National Geographic National Parks app lets you explore U.S. national parks easily as the app features global and interactive map views with filtering by activity and seasonality. The app also features the top must-sees and must-dos for each park with stunning photo galleries, and rare vintage images from the National Geographic Archive. Thousands of points of interest are tagged with GPS coordinates for easy planning and locating. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
Other Grant Initiatives/ProgramsREMOTE IMAGINGNational Geographic's Remote Imaging Program is dedicated to developing and deploying novel imaging tools for research, exploration and conservation. In 2013, we continued making contributions of time, expertise and equipment to a diversity of projects.Remote Imaging's CRITTERCAM field projects included leopard seals in Antarctica, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, marlin and other billfish in multiple locations, urban monkeys in Gibraltar, great white sharks in South Africa and the iconic American bison. Crittercam has begun to grow its involvement in a fast-growing area of research - urban/suburban wildlife - with project on coyotes in Chicago and black bears in Lake Tahoe. The first field tests of a new generation of wireless-networked Crittercams were conducted - being developed under a collaborative National Science Foundation grant along with The University of Maryland and Princeton University. The Deep Ocean Drop-Cams continue to allow researchers to investigate the ocean floor, providing access to new environments and documenting new species. A variant on this system, the Driftcam, adds automatic buoyancy compensation that will allow similar investigations in the hard-to-define mid-water regions of the world's oceans. Custom underwater lighting systems continue to support archaeological investigations into ancient human remains in Mexico and shipwrecks in Canada. Aerial platforms continue to improve and diversify, providing new investigation and documentation options for research and exploration in China and Peru. Sub-surface detection technology helped search for artifacts lost in the Euphrates River in Iraq. New low-light imaging technologies were developed to allow better documentation in challenging environments and conditions. 'Camera traps' with capabilities beyond anything commercially available continue to be developed and improved, and have contributed to studies of mountain lions, coyotes, bears and other wildlife. Remote Imaging projects feed scientific discovery, publishing in top journals, as well as providing unique images that help capture the public's imagination and generate interest in science, exploration and conservation. Remote Imaging-produced images and video have contributed to stories for the National Geographic Magazine. The 6,000 square foot "CRITTERCAM" museum exhibit continues to travel around the U.S., educating enthusiastic audiences about "the world through animal eyes" and 'spin-off' exhibits are being discussed for smaller venues. Remote Imaging staff participated in many presentations on science, technology and exploration at universities, conferences and events across the country. Working with NG Education, we obtained a grant from Oracle to create a youth-oriented engineering program. The new Driftcam technology was presented at the prestigious Oceans conference.NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AIR & WATER CONSERVATION FUND (CHINA)The National Geographic Air and Water Conservation Fund was established in 2012, building on the National Geographic Society's legacy of supporting groundbreaking research and vital conservation worldwide for more than a century. The grant program supports the field research of Chinese scientists and conservationists who are exploring innovative solutions to water and air quality issues in China.The Fund's Advisory Board is comprised of six renowned Chinese scientists and conservationists from a broad spectrum of disciplines. In 2013, grant applications were received from a variety of environmental NGOs and research organizations in China. The projects cover grassroots conservation efforts and scientific research ranging from local river protection to air quality monitoring. In 2013, the Fund's Advisory Board convened twice, in April and October in Beijing, and cumulatively awarded 25 grants. To seek out the best applicants, National Geographic Air and Water Conservation Fund staff do substantive outreach to individuals and organizations involved in conservation and science related to air and water quality. In 2013 the team participated in 19 conservation conferences and events, had face-to-face meeting with various grantees and NGOs and also participated in several Society-sponsored outreach activities. As a result, there was a 44% increase in applications in comparison to the previous year.Supporting our goal of building awareness of this Fund and the approved grant projects, the Chinese Edition of National Geographic Magazine published a brief introduction of the Air and Water Conservation Fund in its December 2013 issue, highlighting the 25 grantees from the first three grant meetings. The Fund also reached a large youth demographic by participating in an event hosted by Destination Imagination and National Geographic's Education group. The China team coordinated with local media partners and supported the logistics of a National Geographic-themed challenge.BIG CATS INITIATIVENational Geographic's Big Cats Initiative (BCI) is a comprehensive, action-oriented program that supports on-the-ground big cat conservation projects, education, and economic incentive efforts and a global public awareness campaign. This initiative supports the protection of lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, snow leopards, and other top felines who are quickly disappearing, all victims of habitat loss and degradation as well as conflicts with humans. By the end of 2013, BCI had awarded a total of 49 grants supporting assessment and conservation projects, community education initiatives, and scientific research. The BCI grants program has made important strides in helping communities understand and protect big cats in their midst. The "Cause an Uproar" campaign raises awareness and funds for the Big Cats Initiative. BCI continues to offer several ways for public engagement including free educator lesson plans, the "Build a Boma" peer to peer fundraising platform, text and online donation platforms, a "Little Kitties For Big Cats" photo-sharing platform, and a BCI Sister Schools Program that connects schools in Africa with schools in the United States under the theme of big cats. FRESHWATERBuilding on a strong web-based platform that educates the public through our freshwater website and the popular Water Currents blog, National Geographic launched the Change the Course campaign along with partners Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Participant Media in February 2013. The campaign is designed to engage with the public, corporations, and on-the-ground conservation groups to return critical flows of fresh water to critically dewatered portions of the Colorado River Basin. Change the Course motivates members of the public to learn about their own freshwater footprint and make a free pledge to conserve water at changethecourse.us. The pledge community is now comprised of people from 50 states and more than a hundred countries. For every pledge, Change the Course restores a thousand gallons of water to the Colorado River Basin. Corporate sponsors, such as Silk, Coca-Cola and Disney provide funding for the water restoration projects. In 2013, Change the Course funded projects in the Verde River, the Fraser River, the Roaring Fork and the Colorado River Delta in Mexico (all part of the Colorado River Basin.) NG Freshwater Fellow and water expert Sandra Postel continued to engage with the public in a variety of lectures, keynotes and media interviews and continued to curate the Water Currents blog on the Society's website. ENDURING VOICESIn 2013, the Enduring Voices team, comprised of Dr. K. David Harrison, Dr. Gregory Anderson and Chris Rainier, wrapped up their multi-year National Geographic-funded project with a high-profile event: David Harrison co-curated one of the three highlighted themes at the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Titled One World, Many Voices, the festival included collaborators from around the world Kalmyk and Tuvan (Russian Federation), Hawaiian, Isthmus Zapotec (Mexico), Quechua (Bolivia), Koro (India), among others - working to preserve their unique languages. In addition to the festival, the Enduring Voices team held a language revitalization workshop in Santiago, Chile with participants from Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. They also continued to work with communities around the world to publish "Talking Dictionaries," a living record of endangered languages maintained and expanded by leaders and language advocates from the respective cultures. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
13,016,558
including grants of $
3,859,309
) (Revenue $
1,218,455
)
|
|
Other Grant Initiatives/Programs, Cont.OUT OF EDEN PROJECT From 2013 to 2020, writer and National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek is recreating an epic journey on foot, starting at humankind's birthplace in Ethiopia and ending at the southern tip of South America. Paul Salopek's Out of Eden walk is an exercise in slow journalism - engaging with the major stories of our time--from climate change to technological innovation, from mass migration to cultural survival--by walking alongside the people who inhabit them every day. National Geographic is publishing Paul's dispatches in the form of words, photos, and sometimes audio or video. National Geographic Magazine features the walk periodically throughout the year including as a cover story in Dec 2013. In 2013 Paul walked the length of Africa. When his seven-year journey ends, Paul will have created a global mosaic of stories, faces, sounds, and landscapes highlighting the pathways that connect us to each other--a unique archive of our shared humanity at the start of a new millennium. Now in his second year and in the Middle East, Paul's tales highlight a central truth of our humanity in this globalized age: The most important narratives of our time, once monopolized by the developed world, now increasingly appear at the world's margins. PRISTINE SEASNational Geographic's Pristine Seas Projects aims to protect the last wild places in the ocean. This includes not only preserving areas that are pristine or near pristine, but also helping to restore areas that may have suffered some human impacts but still harbor unique features such as large animals, healthy bottom communities, and outstanding biodiversity. The goals are to 1) help create large, no-take marine reserves with effective management over the long term and 2) help restore the health and resilience of unique ecosystems using a combination of solutions (e.g., marine reserves, fisheries management improvement, new ecotourism models), mostly in areas with some human population. We work to restore the health and resilience of unique ecosystems using a combination of exploration, scientific research, economic and policy analysis, and compelling media. We have done 9 expeditions and working with key partners, Pristine Seas has helped to inspire country leaders to create four large reserves totaling over 384,000 square kilometers.GENOGRAPHIC PROJECT The Genographic Project seeks to chart new knowledge about the migratory history of the human species and answer age-old questions surrounding the genetic diversity of humanity. Launched in 2005, the first phase of the Genographic Project enlisted a consortium of 11 global regional scientific teams who completed sample collection and DNA analysis in their respective regions. Members of the general public also participated in this real-time scientific research effort through a confidential kit that allowed them to send in their DNA to trace their own migratory history. Building on seven years of data collection, Genographic continues to shine new light on humanity's collective past with the 2012 launch of Geno 2.0. This test examines a unique collection of nearly 150,000 DNA identifiers that offers rich, ancestry-relevant information from across the entire human genome. By the end of 2013, over 600,000 members of the general public had joined the Genographic Project by purchasing a kit. A portion of the proceeds supports community-led efforts of indigenous peoples to revitalize their languages and cultures. Now as the project seeks to understand more unanswered questions, targeted research grants seek to further our knowledge about our ancient ancestry. Project results have led to the publication of 44 scientific papers. The project's DNA results and analysis are stored in a database that is the largest collection of human anthropological genetic information ever assembled.GREAT ENERGY CHALLENGE(GEC)Like food, air, and water, energy is essential to human existence. The hopes of billions for a better life depend on plentiful and accessible sources of energy. But with the world's population fast approaching seven billion, how do we meet the growing demand for energy in a responsible, equitable, and sustainable way? It's a question we must ask ourselves as a society and as individuals. That's why National Geographic, with support from Shell, has launched The Great Energy Challenge.The Great Energy Challenge is an important National Geographic initiative designed to help all of us better understand the breadth and depth of our current energy situation. National Geographic has assembled some of the world's foremost researchers and scientists to help tackle the challenge. Led by Thomas Lovejoy, a National Geographic Conservation Fellow and renowned biologist, the team of advisers will work together to identify and provide support for projects focused on innovative energy solutions.By joining The Great Energy Challenge, we can all make a positive difference in this crucial decade and change how we think about and consume energy. The GEC website is a one-stop resource where you can participate actively, find incisive, expertly reported energy news, follow the latest issues and join the discussion on the blog, and test your knowledge with our quizzes. Learn about energy projects and National Geographic-funded energy initiatives around the world, and become an advocate by making a donation, volunteering, or just spreading the word. Use the cutting-edge online tools such as the Personal Energy Meter to measure your energy consumption and share your score with your friends, and the World Electricity Mix Interactive, which shows you where the world gets its power. Achieve your ideal "energy weight" by joining others around the world in following a 360-degree Energy Diet. Decisions we make now will profoundly affect the natural world and the quality and sustainability of our lives.NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WEEKENDNational Geographic Weekend is a two hour weekly radio talk show featuring compelling interviews about our planet and the activities of the National Geographic Society. It features dozens of the most exciting adventurers, explorers, scientists, conservationists, photographers and filmmakers in the world--many of whom are funded by the Society. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
10,373,200
including grants of $
6,412,909
) (Revenue $
10,399
)
|
|
The COMMITTEE FOR RESEARCH AND EXPLORATION (CRE) has awarded more than 9,200 grants since 1890, totaling more than $133 million. The Committee supported extraordinary research in 2013, awarding 147 grants, representing fieldwork in the disciplines of anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, biology, geography, geology, paleontology, and oceanography. Marine biologist Whitney Friedman received a grant to investigate social interaction and vocalizations between bottlenose dolphins in Western Australia. Her work was published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in July 2013. Anthropologist Rainer Bussman studied the Chacobo people of Bolivia with CRE support to look at their traditional medicines and use of local plant resources. This was the first time the Chacobo had been studied in decades. Finally, Georgian botanist George Nakhutsrishvili was funded to survey the ecology of a little-known part of the Caucasus, which led to a retrospective of his career in the Georgian edition of National Geographic in November 2013.The Expeditions Council, part of the CRE, is a grant program dedicated to funding the exploration of largely unrecorded or little-known areas of Earth, as well as regions of the planet undergoing significant environmental or cultural change. Since its inception in 1998, the Expeditions Council has awarded 524 grants totaling $21.7 million, and has funded projects that span the entire spectrum of exploration and adventure. The Council awarded 32 grants in 2013. Among the Expeditions Council projects funded in 2013 was the work of cave diver Alberto Nava Blank who ventured into a flooded Mexican cave to recover a skull found to be 12,000 years old - part of the oldest ice-age skeleton ever found. The discovery resulted in a publication in Science and coverage on National Geographic's website and the Washington Post. The story will also featured in an upcoming NOVA show. Across the globe, conservationist Krishna Tiwari received support for his work studying the urban leopards of Mumbai, India. Using camera traps he was able to track some of the 24 leopards who live in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, but frequently cross park boundaries and end up in and around the city's shops and apartment buildings. Photographer Pete McBride was also funded for work in India, following the sacred Ganges river. Starting at the Ganges' source, his team ascended the unclimbed, 23,000 foot peak Chaukhamba III looming over the headwaters of the Gangotri Glacier. From there, the team followed the river's flow, by raft, by foot, and by aircraft, from the high Himalaya to the Sundarban Islands at the Bay of Bengal, documenting the remarkable transformation this river endures as it moves across northern India. McBride's photos and videos were featured in a multi-part series on the National Geographic website and will be released in an upcoming documentary next year. Also part of the CRE, The National Geographic Young Explorer grants support the next generation of researchers, explorers and conservationists. Young Explorer Grants provide individuals age 18 to 25 with some of their first experiences carrying out fieldwork and exploration. A total of 65 field projects spanning the globe were funded in 2013. Justine Jackson-Ricketts received a conservation grant to study the diet and life history of the Irrawaddy dolphins in the Gulf of Thailand. She hopes to use her findings to inform fisheries regulations, and reduce the instances of dolphin bycatches by fishermen. Researcher Andrew Thompson received a grant to study seasonal killifishes in Brazil. These fish live in tiny bodies of water that that dry up each year, but their eggs can survive in the ground until the wet season returns. Julia Harte received a grant to travel the Tigris River from Southern Iraq to Southeastern Turkey, documenting the downstream and upstream impacts of Turkey's Ilisu Dam. She blogged about her expedition and her work was also covered in multimedia feature story on National Geographic's website. The Conservation Trust (CT), another part of the CRE, is a grant program that supports innovative solutions to issues of global concern. The CT encourages model projects that engage and inform their areas' local population. The Conservation Trust including the Linblad Expedition Grants as a subset, has awarded 239 grants since its inception in 2001, totaling $7.8 million dollars. The CT awarded 30 grants in 2013. These projects included: Mark Elbroch's study on the effects of the reintroduction of wolves on cougar foraging and demographics in the Southern Yellowstone Ecosystem; Max Graham's Prevention of Illegal Killing of Elephants for Ivory in the Laikipia Ecosystem, Kenya; and Guido Parra's use of satellite telemetry to enhance the conservation and management of common dolphins in South Australian waters.Another CRE component, The NGS/Waitt Grants Program, is an initiative of the National Geographic Society and the Waitt Foundation that provides essential funding for cutting-edge exploratory field research in all disciplines around the world. Funding is made possible for research that holds promise of new breakthroughs in the Natural and Cultural sciences. A total of 300 projects have been funded from the programs inception in 2008 totaling $3.5 million, with 38 of these approved in 2013. Outstanding projects for the NGS/Waitt Grants Program during 2013 include the work of Francisco Estrada-Belli, Guatemalan archaeologist who stumbled upon a uniquely well-preserved stucco frieze depicting rulers and gods relating to a local Maya dynasty in the Peten of Guatemala. The beautiful frieze that was published by the National Geographic Magazine Latin America Edition provides a snapshot of the power in the Mayan world as early as 600 A.D. Equally important was the funded project on the northern coast of Peru led by Oscar Gabriel Prieto, Peruvian archaeologist that led excavations at the site of Gramalote, a site dating to 1,500 B.C. with evidence of domestic architecture and marine-oriented economy based on shard and sea lion meat. Based on artifacts recovered from the site, Prieto discovered that the inhabitants of Gramalote practiced an emerging religion, offering a new perspective in our understanding of the early stages of Andean cosmology and subsistence. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EXPLORER PROGRAMSEXPLORERS SYMPOSIUMThe Explorers Symposium is an annual event that convenes National Geographic's explorers (Emerging Explorers, Explorers-in-Residence, National Geographic Fellows, and Grantees) from around the globe to participate in a week full of events, including a two-day symposium, that brings the excitement of the field to audiences at the National Geographic Society Headquarters. In 2013, the two days of panel discussions covered topics ranging from art to archaeology of modern times, from conservation solutions to unknown worlds and extreme environments. The 2013 Explorers Symposium and related events took place the week of June 10 - 14. National Geographic introduced its new class of Emerging Explorers at the Symposium; these seventeen individuals were recognized for their significant contributions to world knowledge through exploration at an early stage in their careers.EXPLORER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMThe National Geographic Society created the Explorers-in-Residence program to develop and enhance its long-standing relationships with some of the world's preeminent scientists and storytellers. These explorers are dedicated to making notable advances in their respective fields and are highly regarded within scientific and exploration circles. National Geographic explorers' groundbreaking discoveries fuel the kind of critical information, conservation initiatives, and compelling stories that are the hallmark of the National Geographic Society. 2013 Explorers-in-Residence:Robert Ballard, Ocean ExplorerRobert Ballard is best known for his historic discovery of the Titanic, the Bismarck, and hydrothermal vents in the Galapagos Rift. He has conducted more than 140 deep-sea expeditions using the latest in exploration technology. He pioneered distance learning with the JASON Project, an award-winning educational program that has reached millions of students and teachers. He has received prestigious awards from the Explorers Club and the National Geographic Society - the Explorers Medal and the Hubbard Medal, respectively - as well as the Lindbergh Award. In 2003, President George W. Bush presented him with the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal. Ballard is president of the Ocean Exploration Center in Mystic, scientist emeritus of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, president of the Ocean Exploration Trust and director for the Center for Ocean Exploration at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Lee Berger, PaleoanthropologistLee Berger is an award-winning researcher, author, speaker, and palaeoanthropologist. He is the recipient of the National Geographic Society's first Prize for Research and Exploration and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa. His explorations into human origins in Africa over the past two-and-a-half decades have resulted in many new and notable discoveries, including the most complete early hominin fossils found so far, which belong to a new species of early human ancestor, Australopithecus sediba. Among other positions, Berger serves on the advisory board of the Global Young Academy and the Centre of Excellence in PalaeoSciences. Berger is the Research Professor in Human Evolution and the Public Understanding of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. James Cameron, Filmmaker/InventorJames Cameron, explorer and filmmaker, made history on March 26, 2012, by completing the first-ever, single-pilot dive to the Challenger Deep, the deepest place on the planet. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible, which was designed and engineered by Cameron and his team, achieved 35,787 feet (about 7 miles) during the first manned scientific exploration of the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. Cameron has written, produced, and directed a number of award-winning films that have blazed new trails in visual effects and set numerous box office records, including "Avatar" and "Titanic," the two highest-grossing films in history. Two of Cameron's passions--filmmaking and diving--blended in his work on the movies "The Abyss" and "Titanic." The latter required him to make 12 dives to the wreck itself, 2.5 miles down in the North Atlantic. Cameron has led eight marine expeditions, including a forensic study of the Bismarck wreck site and 3-D imaging of deep hydrothermal vent sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the East Pacific Rise, and the Sea of Cortez. He has made more than 80 deep submersible dives, 51 of them in Russian Mir submersibles, to depths of up to 16,000 feet, including 33 to the Titanic. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition was the result of a more-than-seven-year engineering effort by Cameron and his team. The expedition is featured in the June 2013 edition of National Geographic magazine and will be the subject of a 3-D feature film. Wade Davis, Anthropologist/EthnobotanistWade Davis holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. He is the author of 17 bestselling books, including "The Serpent and the Rainbow" (1986), "One River" (1996), "The Wayfinders" (2009), and "Into the Silence" (2011). His many film credits include "Light at the Edge of the World," an eight-hour documentary series written and produced for the National Geographic Channel. Davis' many awards include the 2009 Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for his contributions to anthropology and conservation; the 2011 Explorers Medal, the highest award of the Explorers Club; the 2012 David Fairchild Medal for botanical exploration; and the 2013 Ness Medal for geography education from the Royal Geographical Society. His book "Into the Silence" was awarded the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize, the top prize for literary nonfiction in the English language. Jared Diamond, GeographerJared Diamond is professor of geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" and the widely acclaimed "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies," which won him a Pulitzer Prize as well as Britain's 1998 Rhone-Poulenc Science Book Prize. Diamond is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (Genius Award); research prizes and grants from the American Physiological Society, National Geographic Society and Zoological Society of San Diego; and many teaching awards and endowed public lectureships. In addition, he has been elected a member of all three of the leading national scientific/academic honorary societies - National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society. Diamond's field experience includes 24 expeditions to New Guinea and neighboring islands to study the ecology and evolution of birds, and other field projects in North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. As a conservationist, he devised a comprehensive plan, almost all of which was implemented, for Indonesian New Guinea's national park system. He is a founding member of the board of the Society of Conservation Biology and a member of the board of directors of World Wildlife Fund U.S. and Conservation International.Sylvia Earle, OceanographerSylvia Earle, National Geographic's Rosemary and Roger Enrico Chair for Ocean Exploration, is an oceanographer, founder of Mission Blue, SEAlliance, and Deep Ocean Exploration and Research. She is also chair of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, leader of the NGS Sustainable Seas Expeditions, former chief scientist of NOAA, and a founding Ocean Elder. Earle has been called "Her Deepness" by the New York Times, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, and Time magazine's first "Hero for the Planet." She has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater. She has authored 190 publications and lectured in 80 countries. A graduate of Florida State University with an M.S. and Ph.D. from Duke University and 24 honorary doctorates, she is founder of three companies, and serves service on various boards and commissions. Her more than 100 honors include the 2009 TED Prize, Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, and medals from the Explorers Club, the Royal Geographical Society, the Lindbergh Foundation, and the Dominican Republic. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EXPLORER PROGRAMS, Cont.J. Michael Fay, ConservationistMike Fay has spent his life as a naturalist exploring places in the United States, Central America, and Africa. Since 1991, he has worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society. After college, Fay headed to Tunisia and the savannas of the Central African Republic to conduct botanical studies, but was drawn into elephant conservation. In 1984, he joined the Missouri Botanical Garden. His first assignment, a floristic study of a mountain range on Sudan's western border, led to a Ph.D. on the western lowland gorillas. It was at this time that he first entered the forests of central Africa. He worked to create the Dzanga-Sangha and Nouabale-Ndoki parks in the Central African Republic and Congo, which he later managed. In 1999 and 2000, Fay walked the Megatransect, a 2,000-mile trek through central Africa. This led to the Gabonese government creating a system of 13 national parks in Gabon, covering some 11,000 square miles. In 2004, Fay completed the Megaflyover, an eight-month aerial survey of the African continent, creating 116,000 vertical images of human impact and associated ecosystems. Since 2008, Fay has focused his research on mining development in British Columbia. He returned to Gabon in 2010 and 2012 to implement a Gabon development strategy and a fisheries initiative. Dereck and Beverly Joubert, Filmmakers/ConservationistsDereck and Beverly Joubert are award-winning filmmakers who have been filming, researching, and exploring in Africa for more than 30 years. Their mission is to save the wild places of Africa and to protect the creatures that depend on them. They are the founders of the Big Cats Initiative with National Geographic; the initiative has so far funded 39 grants in 17 countries for big cat conservation. The Jouberts have made 25 films for National Geographic including "The Last Lions," which has reached more than 350 million people. They have received many accolades, including seven Emmys, Lifetime Achievement Award, Peabody Award, Panda Awards, a World Ecology Award, and an induction into the American Academy of Achievement. They were given the Presidential Order of Meritorious Service by the president of Botswana. Beverly is an acclaimed photographer, and Dereck is CEO of Great Plains Conservation, a company whose mission is to preserve pristine habitat and indiginous wildlife by creating a "gold standard" eco-tourism model that is low impact, low volume and economically supports local communities, creating local incentive for conservation. Meave and Louise Leakey, PaleontologistsPaleontologists and mother-daughter team Meave and Louise Leakey have made significant contributions to our understanding of human origins, continuing a family legacy of ancient fossil discoveries in East Africa. Meave and Louise are currently developing a field-based interdisciplinary research institute with stations to the east and west of Lake Turkana. This will facilitate field research, provide training and research opportunities, and bring employment and also development benefits to local communities. Their ongoing National Geographic-sponsored annual expeditions to this area continue to recover important hominid and faunal remains. In 1994 field work at Kanapoi to the southwest of Lake Turkana yielded some of the earliest hominids known, dated at more than 4 million years. In 1999 Meave and Louise uncovered a 3.5-million-year-old skull believed to belong to a new branch of early human named Kenyanthropus platyops. This remarkable discovery, announced in the journal Nature, has profound implications in understanding the origins of mankind. More recently, discoveries have shown that Homo habilis and Homo erectus co-existed in the Turkana Basin for close to half a million years, making it unlikely that habilis gave rise to erectus as was previously thought.Johan Reinhard, AnthropologistJohan Reinhard began his anthropological research in the 1960s in Nepal, where his studies investigated shamanism, sacred landscape, and culture change among one of the world's last hunting and gathering tribes. He has participated in underwater archaeological investigations in Mexico, Italy, Austria, Kyrgyzstan, and three Andean countries. In the Andes, he recovered frozen Inca mummies on mountains in Peru and Argentina, which were chosen by Time magazine as among the world's 10 most important scientific discoveries of 1995 and 1999. Reinhard's work has been distinguished with several awards, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise, the Golden Puma (Bolivia's highest award in the field of archaeology), and the Explorers Medal from the Explorers Club. Outside magazine selected him as one of today's 25 most extraordinary explorers, and the Ford Motor Company named him as one of the "Heroes for the Planet." Enric Sala, Marine EcologistEnric Sala is a marine ecologist leading National Geographic's Pristine Seas Project, an exploration, research, and conservation initiative to find, survey, and help protect the last wild places in the ocean. Sala has been instrumental in the creation of the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands National Monument, the Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park in Chile, and the Seamounts Marine Managed Area in Costa Rica. He is currently working with partners to inspire the U.K. government to create the largest no-take marine reserve in the world around the Pitcairn Islands, where he led a groundbreaking expedition in March 2013. His more than 100 scientific publications, dozens of popular articles, and five documentary films are widely recognized and used for conservation efforts. Sala is a 2005 Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, a 2006 Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, and a 2008 Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum. In 2013, he received the Research Award of the Spanish Geographical Society. Paul Sereno, Paleontologist Paul Sereno is a paleontologist and professor who works in his Fossil Lab at the University of Chicago, resurrecting creatures long extinct. His field exploits began in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, where Sereno discovered the earliest dinosaurs. Other expeditions have explored the Sahara and Gobi deserts, India's Thar Desert, and remote valleys in Tibet. He has unveiled a menagerie of spectacular dinosaurs and crocodiles, including giant predators, digging raptors, head-butting dwarfs, and a 40-foot-long SuperCroc. His latest discovery is a human graveyard in the Sahara predating the Egyptian pyramids. Featured in many National Geographic magazine stories and documentaries, Sereno was named Teacher of the Year (1993) by the Chicago Tribune and was awarded the University Medal for Excellence from Columbia University (1999). His efforts to foster up-and-coming scientists among urban youth earned him the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from the White House (2009). Spencer Wells, GeneticistSpencer Wells is a geneticist, anthropologist, and author who has dedicated much of his career to studying humankind's family tree and furthering our knowledge of human migration. He leads the Genographic Project at National Geographic, which is collecting and analyzing hundreds of thousands of DNA samples from people around the world in order to decipher how our ancestors populated the planet. The project entered its next groundbreaking phase in 2012 with the launch of Geno 2.0. Wells received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and conducted postdoctoral work at Stanford and Oxford. He has appeared in numerous documentary films and is the author of three books, "The Journey of Man," "Deep Ancestry," and "Pandora's Seed." He is the recipient of numerous scientific awards, grants, and fellowships, including the 2007 Kistler Prize for accomplishment in the field of genetics, and is the Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professor at Cornell University. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EXPLORER PROGRAMS, Cont.FELLOWS PROGRAMThe Fellows Program was created to encourage the flow of ideas between National Geographic and field experts. Fellows provide expert consultation on National Geographic projects, education and outreach, and environmental and public policy. They represent a variety of professions and work with the program for a limited amount of time.2013 Fellows:Gregory Anderson, LinguistGregory D. S. Anderson directs the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the documentation, revitalization, and maintenance of endangered languages. He has published widely in the fields of historical linguistics, descriptive grammar, morphology, verb typology, and the linguistics of Munda, Chile, Turkic, Burushaski, Salishan, Tibeto-Burman, and Ogonoid languages. Anderson leads the scientific research for the Enduring Voices Project at National Geographic.Dan Buettner, AuthorDan Buettner is an internationally recognized researcher, explorer, and New York Times bestselling author. His National Geographic article on longevity, "The Secrets of Living Longer," was the cover story of one of the magazine's top-selling issues ever and made him a finalist for a National Magazine Award. Buettner's books, "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest" (2008) and "Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way" (2010), appeared on many bestseller lists. Buettner founded Blue Zones, a company that puts the world's best practices in longevity and well-being to work in people's lives. Its community well-being strategy focuses on optimizing the health environment instead of individual behavior change. Buettner holds three world records in distance cycling and has won an Emmy Award for television production. Jason Clay, Food and Agriculture FellowJason Clay is the World Wildlife Fund U.S.'s senior vice president for Market Transformation. Manager of WWF's private sector advisory board, Clay is the architect of the WWF's private sector engagement strategy for commodities and supply chain management issues. He is a thought leader in the NGO community about global trends, supply chain management issues, partnering and convening multi-stakeholder groups to work together on pre-competitive issues. He is a globally recognized expert on certification and food production. He created one of the world's first ecolabels and helped develop standards for more than a dozen commodities through multi-stakeholder processes that reduce the impacts of production. Over the course of his career, Clay has run a family farm, taught at Harvard and Yale, worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, helped create hundreds of products such as Rainforest Crunch with Ben & Jerry's and spent more than 30 years working with environmental and human rights organizations. Clay studied at Harvard and London School of Economics and received his Ph.D. in anthropology at Cornell University. He founded the award-winning Cultural Survival Quarterly and is the author of more than 300 articles and 15 books.John Francis, ConservationistJohn H. Francis was inspired by the 1971 oil spill in San Francisco to make a deeper, more personal commitment to the environment. As an affirmation of his responsibility to the planet, he chose to stop using motorized vehicles and began walking wherever he went. A few months later, he took a vow of silence that lasted 17 years. In 2008, National Geographic published Francis' memoir "Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking; 17 Years of Silence." He walked across the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra and Rocky Mountains, and traversed America from coast to coast. Along the way, and without a word, he earned undergraduate and master's degrees in science and environmental studies, and a Ph.D. in land resources. Francis then founded Planetwalk, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to raising environmental consciousness and promoting Earth stewardship. In 2011, National Geographic published his book "The Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World." He currently sits on the board of visitors at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sean Gerrity, ConservationistSean Gerrity is president of American Prairie Reserve (APR), an organization he has led since its founding in 2002. APR's vision is to create the largest wildlife complex ever assembled in the continental United States, a vast grassland landscape spanning 5,000 square miles in northeastern Montana. Featured in the National Geographic film "American Serengeti," APR is growing through a unique model that uses private land to leverage public land, resulting in a new national treasure that is both open to the public and privately funded. Gerrity hopes to inspire others around the globe to use similarly creative 21st-century solutions for the world's conservation challenges. Prior to joining APR, Gerrity co-founded Catalyst Consulting, a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based firm, specializing in organizational alignment and strategy development and implementation for the business world. K. David Harrison, LinguistK. David Harrison is an associate professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College and co-leads National Geographic's Enduring Voices Project. He received his doctorate from Yale University and has spent extended periods in Siberia and Mongolia studying the languages and cultural traditions of nomadic herders. He has worked with speakers of endangered languages in India, the Philippines, Lithuania, Paraguay, Colombia, Chile, and the United States. Harrison is a leading spokesman for endangered languages, appearing in media such as the New York Times, NPR, BBC, The Economist, and "The Colbert Report." He co-stars in the Emmy-nominated film "The Linguists," which documents his and fellow linguist Greg Anderson's travels to interview the last speakers of nearly extinct tongues. His recent book "The Last Speakers: The Quest to Save the World's Most Endangered Languages" was published by National Geographic. Fredrik Hiebert, ArchaeologistFredrik Hiebert is an archaeologist and an explorer, investigating regions across the world where ancient cultures are quickly disappearing. So far, he has excavated 4,000-year-old Silk Road cities from Turkey to Uzbekistan. Hiebert has conducted underwater archaeology projects in highland Asia and in South America, and has partnered with Robert Ballard in the Black Sea search for submerged settlements. His work with National Geographic traveling exhibitions has allowed millions to learn about these regions. These exhibitions include "Hidden Treasures of Afghanistan," "Ancient Seafaring," and "Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology," currently touring in Europe. To reach the next generation of explorers and archaeologists, he is also developing these topics for National Geographic school publications. Hiebert was educated at the University of Michigan and Harvard University. Among other honors, he received the Chairman's Award from the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration in 1998. Hiebert held the Robert H. Dyson Chair of Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania before joining National Geographic in 2003. Zeb Hogan, Ecologist/PhotographerZeb Hogan is an assistant research professor at the University of Nevada-Reno and the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species Scientific Councilor for Fish. Hogan also hosts the National Geographic Television series "Monster Fish." His research focuses on migratory fish ecology, multi-species fisheries management, the status and conservation of giant freshwater fish, endangered species issues, and conservation genetics. Hogan leads the Megafishes Project, a multi-year effort to document the 20-some species of freshwater fish at least 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length or 220 pounds (100 kilograms) in weight. In addition to his work on Mekong River fish species, Hogan has been involved with conservation projects on the Colorado River and in Mongolia. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EXPLORER PROGRAMS, Cont.NG FELLOWS, Cont.Corey Jaskolski, Engineer and InventorCorey Jaskolski grew up fascinated with imaging and how technology can help take it to new frontiers. He has degrees in mathematics, physics, and electrical/computer engineering. While attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jaskolski was the DuPont Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Fellow as well as the Shell Ocean Engineering Fellow. He is currently working on technologies such as 360-degree video, color and HD night-vision imaging, ultra-high-resolution imaging, and immersive viewers to share this imagery. Jaskolski also runs Hydro Technologies, a company focused on developing technologies to help prevent subsea oil leaks. When not working on new technologies, Jaskolski spends his time backpacking, climbing 14ers (Colorado's highest mountains), or training for triathlons. He is excited to use his technical capabilities to see the world in a unique way, help tell the stories that really matter, and encourage people to care about our planet. Mattias Klum, Photographer/FilmmakerMattias Klum, photographer and filmmaker, specializes in portraying and interpreting threatened environments, species, and cultures. Among other awards, his advocacy on behalf of biodiversity earned him a medal from the King of Sweden and designation as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2010 he was named Senior Fellow of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Today, Klum is increasingly involved in establishing multidisciplinary platforms and awareness campaigns with globally recognized network organizations to support key environmental, sustainability, and humanitarian initiatives. He also released two films in 2011: "The Testament of Tebaran," a Penan elder's plea to end deforestation in Borneo, and "The Coral Eden," which highlights the importance of a functional marine ecosystem from one of Earth's last untouched coral reef havens. Other ongoing projects include the Baltic Sea Media Project, a 10-year initiative to help restore the Baltic Sea; and Expedition Sweden, a long-term program designed to inspire and motivate more businesses, youth, and communities throughout Sweden to take an active interest in our environment. Thomas E. Lovejoy, Tropical and Conservation BiologistDr. Thomas E. Lovejoy directed the World Wildlife Fund-US program from 1973 to 1987 and was responsible for its scientific, Western Hemisphere, and tropical forest orientation. He is generally credited with having brought the tropical forest problem to the fore as a public issue, and is one of the main protagonists for the science and conservation of biological diversity. Lovejoy is the founder of the public television series Nature, and for many years he served as principal advisor to the series. A tropical biologist and conservation biologist, he has worked in the Amazon of Brazil since 1965. In 1998, Brazil awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of Scientific Merit. In April 2001, he received the John & Alice Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. He serves on numerous scientific and conservation boards and advisory groups, including: the New York Botanical Garden, Committee for the National Institute for the Environment, Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, Wildlife Preservation Trust, Resources for the Future, and Woods Hole Research Center. He is chairman of the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Linnaean Society of London, and the American Ornithologists' Union.Greg Marshall, Inventor and BiologistGreg Marshall created the field of animal-borne imaging research. He is a two-time Emmy Award winner and a CNBC "Worlds Coolest Jobs" designee. He is best known for inventing "Crittercam," the pioneering research tool to document behavior of difficult-to-study species - from their unique perspective. He has used his invention in groundbreaking studies of marine and terrestrial species across the globe, creating an international collaborative research program. He founded National Geographic's Remote Imaging Program to conceive, develop and deploy innovative technologies for exploration, science and conservation. He and his collaborators have published dozens of research papers, and his work has helped shape critical conservation and management efforts. Marshall has shared his Crittercam images through dozens of National Geographic films, capturing people's imagination and empathy. Through his research, films, lectures, educational outreach and conservation programs, he allows animals to inspire us with their mysteries, their challenges and their triumphs. Sarah Parcak, Archaeologist Sarah Parcak is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and is the Founding Director of the UAB Laboratory for Global Observation. She pioneers the young field of satellite archaeology, using futuristic tools to unlock secrets from the past and transform how discoveries are made. She is the first Egyptologist to use multispectral and high resolution satellite imagery analysis to identify previously unknown archaeological sites. Parcak has written Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology (Routledge 2009) and numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles. She has discovered over 3,100 previously unknown archaeological settlements in Egypt, thousands of tombs, and 17 possible pyramids. Her remote sensing work has been the focus of two BBC 1 specials on the use of satellite remote sensing in Archaeology. She is a Fellow in the Society of Antiquaries, a 2012 TED Fellow, and co-Director of the Survey and Excavation Projects in Egypt with her husband, Dr. Greg Mumford. Sandra Postel, Freshwater ConservationistSandra Postel is director of the Global Water Policy Project and National Geographic's Freshwater Fellow, serving as lead expert for the Society's freshwater efforts. For more than 25 years, Postel has lectured, taught, and written prolifically on the geography of water stress and its implications for agriculture, rivers, wetlands, and regional peace and security. Postel is the author of several acclaimed books, including "Last Oasis," which appears in eight languages and was the basis for a PBS documentary. Her essay "Troubled Waters" was selected for Best American Science and Nature Writing. She is a Pew Scholar and has been named one of the "Scientific American 50" for her contributions to water policy. Postel is co-creator of Change the Course, the freshwater restoration campaign undertaken by National Geographic and its partners and now being piloted in the Colorado River Basin. Chris Rainier, PhotographerChris Rainier is a photographer and filmmaker who has spent his career documenting endangered cultures and traditional language loss. In 2002, he received the Lowell Thomas Award from the Explorers Club, and he has recently been elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society of Great Britain. Rainer has led documentation projects of indigenous groups, including expeditions in Australia, Africa, Asia, and South America. In the 1990s, he documented the remaining tribes of New Guinea, which resulted in an award-winning book/exhibition called "Where Masks Still Dance: New Guinea." He co-founded National Geographic's Enduring Voices Language Project as well as the All Roads Photography Program that supported indigenous groups and their desire to use photography as a means to tell stories. He is currently director of the Last Mile Technology Project, which brings the Internet and media training to under-represented cultures in an effort to help preserve their traditions. His photographs and books have been widely exhibited around the globe. His most recent book, "Cultures on the Edge," was published by National Geographic. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EXPLORER PROGRAMS, Cont.NG FELLOWS, Cont.Paul Salopek, JournalistPaul Salopek has lived and worked in the developing world for most of his life. For the past 18 years he has been a foreign correspondent in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Central Asia, where he writes frequently about war. His work has won most of the major print journalism awards in the United States, including two Pulitzer Prizes, the George Polk Award, the National Press Club Award, the Overseas Press Club Award and the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage in Journalism, as well as fellowships at Harvard and Princeton universities. His articles have appeared in National Geographic, the Chicago Tribune, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, The American Scholar and Conservation Magazine, among other publications. The Best American Travel Writing series has twice anthologized his stories. Salopek earned a B.A. in environmental biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is married to the visual artist Linda Lynch. Joel Sartore, Photographer and ConservationistJoel Sartore is a conservationist, National Geographic contributing photographer, author and speaker. In more than two decades on assignment for National Geographic magazine, he has focused on endangered species and environmental issues. His most recent story, on koala rescue efforts, is featured in the May 2012 issue. Sartore is currently working on a multi-year personal effort to document life on Earth in studio portraits, called The Biodiversity Project. He has photographed more than 2,000 species to date, with the eventual goal of photographing all 6,000 species represented in American zoos. Sartore serves on the board of Defenders of Wildlife, is a co-founder of the Grassland Foundation and is a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers. He has received multiple awards for his photography from the North American Nature Photography Association, the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, Pictures of the Year International competition and Communication Arts. Barton Seaver, Chef and ConservationistBarton Seaver is a chef and author, who works to restore our relationships with the ocean, the land, and each other - through dinner. He believes food is a crucial way for us to connect with the ecosystems, people, and cultures of our world. Seaver explores these themes through healthful, planet-friendly recipes in his two cookbooks, "Where There's Smoke" and "For Cod and Country." As the director of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard's School of Public Health, his projects aim to highlight the important connection between environmental resiliency and human health while ensuring the profitability of local food producers. The New England Aquarium has named Barton its first Sustainability Fellow in Residence to help relate the Aquarium's conservation messages with our dinner plates. Seaver is known for his devotion to quality, culinary innovation, and sustainability. Jon Waterhouse, Environmental StewardJon Waterhouse is the creator and leader of the Healing Journey, a global canoe expedition he began in 2007. He was asked by tribal leaders who were concerned with the health of their watershed to "go out and take the pulse of our river," the Yukon. Now paddling the rivers of the world, Waterhouse inspires cultural connections through environmental stewardship while simultaneously gathering a clearer understanding of rivers through the help of the indigenous people who live and rely on them. Collecting modern environmental scientific data and hearing the oral histories of these rivers is key to Waterhouse's success. In 2010, Waterhouse was appointed by President Obama to the 15-member Joint Public Advisory Committee on environmental challenges to advise leaders of Mexico, Canada, and the United States. EMERGING EXPLORERS PROGRAMLike the kindred Explorer-in-Residence Program, the Emerging Explorers Program spotlights uniquely gifted, inspiring, visionary individuals, who are on the early side of their career. Each year, NG bestows the title of Emerging Explorer on a new group of leaders from a variety of fields and invites them to establish a relationship with the Society. As a leading scientific and research nonprofit organization, the Society is uniquely positioned to provide grant support and field opportunities for the next generation of explorers in the tradition of Jacques Cousteau, Jane Goodall and the Leakey family.2013 Emerging Explorers:Steve Boyes, Conservation BiologistSteve Boyes is scientific director of the Wild Bird Trust. With a passion for the wilderness and parrot conservation, he works to preserve and protect Botswana's uniquely pristine Okavango Delta, to mitigate threats bringing parrot species to the brink of extinction throughout Africa and to plant thousands of trees in his forest restoration projects. A postdoctoral fellow at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, his research is on the critically endangered Cape parrot, with a focus on better understanding the dynamics that caused an outbreak of the deadly Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease in Cape parrots in the wild. His work has also resulted in a moratorium on the importation of African Grey parrots into South Africa. His most ambitious undertaking is planting the first million trees and mounting hundreds of nest boxes for Cape parrots in the forests they depend on.Erika Cuellar, Conservation Biologist Erika Cuellar is empowering local people in Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina to be hands-on conservation stewards. She trains them to be parabiologists, with the aim of protecting the extraordinary biodiversity of one of South America's last truly wild environments, the Gran Chaco region. Graduates of her program bring their professional skills into the forests, wetlands and grasslands. They make census reports of birds and animals, deploy and analyze data from camera traps and radio-tracking devices, create maps calculating species' densities and monitor changes in wildlife numbers. Their first-aid training saves people's lives, too. Cuellar co-coordinates the Bolivian Committee for the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN. She has helped outlaw hunting of the guanaco (wild ancestor of the llama) and is experimenting with ways to recover its grassland habitat, currently overrun by free-range cattle and invasive plants.Jason De Leon, AnthropologistJason De Leon, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, directs the Undocumented Migration Project, an ethnographic, archaeological and forensic study of clandestine migration between Mexico and the United States. By using multiple anthropological approaches, including documenting what migrants leave behind in the desert, he seeks to provide insight into their experiences, including how people survive and what happens to those who do not make it. Since 2009, his project has collected, catalogued and interpreted nearly 10,000 objects left by migrants making the treacherous Mexico-U.S. crossing - from survival-based items like water bottles and food wrappers to personal belongings like letters, photos, bibles and rosaries. He sees the materials as fragments of history and believes that studying and exhibiting them can highlight the complexities of the migrant experience. Part of the collection was displayed recently in the University of Michigan exhibition "State of Exception" and will eventually travel across the country.Bethany Ehlmann, Planetary GeologistBethany Ehlmann is an assistant professor of planetary science at Caltech, a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a participating scientist on the NASA Mars Rover Curiosity mission. From a control room in Pasadena, Calif., she helps direct the rover and, by zapping Martian rocks with the ChemCam laser spectrometer aboard Curiosity, she analyzes the minerals and geochemistry of the rocks for clues about the planet's ancient environment. "Studying the first billion years of Mars' history helps answer questions about how Earth evolved to sustain and maintain environments good for life," she says. In turn, exploring remote corners on Earth can help inform how to best tackle exploration on Mars. She travels to some extreme spots - from the volcanoes of Iceland to the deserts of California and Oman - to find geologic features and environmental conditions that most closely resemble the surfaces of distant planets. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EXPLORER PROGRAMS, Cont.Emerging Explorers, Cont.Sayed Gul Kalash, ArchaeologistSayed Gul Kalash strives to preserve one of the world's oldest and most unique cultures and languages - her own critically endangered Kalash - still surviving in the remote Kalash valley of Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountain range. She is the first Kalash archaeologist and the only Kalash woman to be trained as a scientist. She runs a small museum in the Kalash valley and is committed to documenting and maintaining her 3,000-year-old heritage. The Kalash language has no written script and is on the verge of extinction. Gul Kalash works to preserve it by documenting local legends and lore in written form for the first time. The Kalash practice their own polytheistic/animist religion and face increasing pressure to convert to Islam and abandon their traditions. This tiny indigenous community numbers about 3,500.Chad Jenkins, Computer Scientist and RoboticistU.S. computer scientist and roboticist Chad Jenkins, associate professor of computer science at Brown University, leads a research group that explores topics related to human-robot interaction and robot learning, with a specific focus on robots learning from human demonstration. Using this approach, the group has trained robots to accomplish tasks such as navigating a basic maze and cleaning a messy room. The greater the number and variety of demonstrations a robot sees, the better it masters the task. Jenkins uses crowdsourcing to expose robots to a wealth of demonstrations. Over the past few years, hundreds of people have participated in training his lab's robots by logging on to the group's website and controlling robots to improve at block-stacking, soccer and household chores. Jenkins, currently on sabbatical at the robotics company Willow Garage, predicts widespread use of robots will change society in the near future similar to how personal computing has over the last 30 years.Sandesh Kadur, Wildlife Filmmaker and PhotographerSandesh Kadur creates award-winning documentary films and photography books to raise awareness about the world's threatened species and habitats in order to inspire his audience to help protect them. His work spans cloud forests and endangered sea turtles in Mexico, rain forests and king cobras in India, the breeding cycle of threatened birds in Indonesia and orphaned clouded leopards being rehabilitated back to the Himalayan jungle. Often his work provides a first-ever glimpse of certain animal behaviors in the wild. He caught the 12-foot-long stars of his king cobra documentary courting, fighting, mating and nest building - action rarely ever witnessed in the wild. The locations he explores, often for months at a time, can be the only corners of the world where particular species exist. His film and book of photographs on the Western Ghats were part of the submission that helped persuade UNESCO to name the Western Ghats a World Heritage site.Raghava KK, ArtistRaghava KK blends creativity and technology to develop interactive art that considers issues from multiple perspectives, challenging perceptions, opening minds, inspiring tolerance and engendering empathy. His work spans genres as disparate as painting, sculpture, film and performance. His most recent series of interactive artwork is focused on radically shifting the role of the viewer from mere spectator/buyer to that of an active participant and co-creator. Science and technology play a pivotal role in his art, allowing multiple perspectives to be revealed and manipulated by the viewer (through touch, brainwave data, facial expressions, etc.), essentially becoming a new creation each time it is experienced. His award-winning iPad picture book for children created a new genre of "shaken stories." Each time the screen is shaken, a new perspective on the concept is revealed. In the case of "Pop-it," the ideal "family" is shaken to reveal two dads, two moms, or mom and dad. KK is helping develop new technologies, embedded in his art, that change the role of spectator and invite them to bias the artwork through active physical participation.Lale Labuko, HumanitarianEthiopian humanitarian Lale Labuko fights to stop the ritualistic killing of infants and children in Ethiopia's Omo River Valley and provides shelter, care and education for the children he rescues. At age 15 he heard the word "mingi" for the first time after he saw a 2-year-old torn from her mother and never seen again. Ancient belief says children who are deemed mingi will bring drought, famine and disease to the tribe if allowed to live. Ritualistic killing is seen as the only solution. Labuko was one of the first in his tribe to receive a formal education, and the perspective he gained from this fueled his resolve to save mingi children and abolish the practice. Ultimately he worked with Ethiopia's government and raised funds from international donors to begin Omo Child, a nonprofit humanitarian organization and children's home. Today, 37 mingi babies and children rescued by Labuko live in the home, many saved just moments before certain death. As a result of his impassioned advocacy efforts with tribal elders, Labuko's greatest accomplishment came in July 2012 when his tribe, the Kara, officially banned mingi.Tan Le, Innovator and EntrepreneurTan Le is working to transform brain research. She creates innovations that expand and improve the way our brains are studied and understood. Her ideas may help detect brain problems earlier, enable better learning and accelerate research to unlock new treatments for neurological disorders. Le co-founded Emotiv Lifesciences, a company pioneering first-of-its kind portable electroencephalography (EEG) technology, a new brain-computer interface and a platform for sharing crucial brain data globally. Large-scale participation in collecting and sharing brain data is now possible through Le's EEG's headset that records brain activity. Researchers send experiments out over the Internet, and participants complete designated tasks while wearing the headset, which has sensors that pick up the brain's electric signals; it can already detect the wearer's thoughts, feelings and expressions.Andrea Marshall, Conservation BiologistAndrea Marshall leads groundbreaking research and conservation programs to save globally threatened manta rays and other vulnerable marine megafauna and their critical habitats. She became the first person to complete a Ph.D. on manta rays; the first to discover a second manta species; and the first to create a global database that can revolutionize the future of manta ray research. The Marine Megafauna Foundation she co-founded conducts world-leading research from Mozambique's remote southern coastline, home to one of the largest identified manta populations. Her work and global lobbying have been crucial in convincing governments and conservation organizations to legislate protection and create marine reserves. In 2013, her efforts helped make history - inclusion of manta rays in CITES, an intergovernmental agreement that will help protect the species internationally.Brendan Mullan, Science Educator and AstrobiologistBrendan Mullan explores innovative ways to communicate astronomy to the public and inspire a new generation of scientists. He is a Ph.D. graduate from Penn State, where he teaches and develops curriculum for astronomy courses. In 2012, Mullan won the prestigious U.S. FameLab competition that encourages scientists to communicate their work to society as a whole in more effective and universally understandable ways. He believes scientists need to engage with the public and bring astronomy and astrobiology out of the ivory tower to make it more accessible and entertaining. His research involves studying how stars form in the interstellar wreckage of colliding galaxies. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
8,170,960
including grants of $
1,732,407
) (Revenue $
)
|
|
EXPLORER PROGRAMS, Cont.Emerging Explorers, Cont.Erin Pettit, Geophysicist and GlaciologistErin Pettit explores glaciers to better understand and predict changing climate and rising seas. She is an assistant professor of geophysics and glaciology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Pettit employs acoustic research, using underwater listening instruments to listen to glaciers. As she translates their language, she'll tell the rest of us what they're saying about sea level rise and climate change, and how critical processes like ocean circulation may be transformed. Other fieldwork finds her in minus 20 degree weather researching how ice sheets have grown and shrunk over hundreds of thousands of years by examining ice core samples that have been drilled and removed. She is also creator of "Girls on Ice," a wilderness science experience for high school girls, who each summer enter glacial landscapes to perform experiments exploring everything from how ice worms move to how alpine vegetation grows.Pardis Sabeti, Computational GeneticistPardis Sabeti uses medical and evolutionary genetics to better understand the origins of our acquired traits as well as to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. At Harvard University she is an associate professor at the Center for Systems Biology and senior associate member of the Broad Institute. Algorithms that she invents and wields are helping crack genetic codes of how infectious diseases such as malaria adapt, spread and may one day be prevented. In 2001, she developed a breakthrough algorithm that allows geneticists to scan for genes that reveal natural selection at work. Tracing the genetics behind natural selection is crucial to unraveling when and how certain mutations increase humanity's odds of survival.Shah Selbe, Engineer and Conservation TechnologistShah Selbe identifies innovative technologies that can be used to protect the world's seas from illegal fishing through better monitoring, tracking, collaboration and surveillance. He created FishNET, a project focused on harnessing technology to detect and track illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing worldwide. These various inexpensive technologies tackle the problem on three levels: collecting, sharing and managing information. Selbe is a satellite propulsion systems engineer at Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems and the Southern California region representative of Engineers Without Borders. Through Engineers Without Borders, he has built homes in Mexico, solar energy projects in Mali, water distribution systems in Malawi and a rainwater catchment system in Tanzania.Jer Thorp, Data ArtistJer Thorp translates complex data sets into novel representations that make information more digestible, understandable and meaningful. He translates unimaginable blurs of information - such as what 3 million lightning strikes look like, or the connections and relationships between the 2,982 people killed on 9/11 - into something we can see, understand and feel. His data visualizations blend research, art, software, science and design to create a human perspective. His award-winning, software-based work has been exhibited on four continents. He co-founded the Office for Creative Research as a resource for cultural institutions, scientists and organizations facing data challenges as they tackle big problems to effect positive change. Thorp teaches data representation at New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program.Gregg Treinish, Adventurer and ConservationistGregg Treinish founded Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation (ASC), a nonprofit organization connecting outdoor adventurers with research scientists in need of data from the field. Adventure athletes contact the organization and volunteer to collect data on their travels. ASC matches them with researchers who need help getting expensive, time-consuming, hard-to-reach information that will be used to make more informed conservation-minded management decisions. More than 100 scientific organizations and 1,000 adventurers have already participated. Treinish also organizes his own expeditions, contributing to research on wildlife-human interaction, fragmented habitats and threatened species. He recently completed a trip to Mongolia to survey the wildlife of that region, gathering data on wolverines and 20 other species. Treinish was a 2008 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. |
|
|
(Code:
)
(Expenses $
2,115,999
including grants of $
) (Revenue $
2,251,283
)
|
|
HOME VIDEOThe Society makes available for sale to members and others mission-related DVDs. |
|
|
4d
|
Other program services (Describe in Schedule O.)
|
|
(Expenses $
159,992,251
including grants of $
16,203,665
) (Revenue $
107,626,489
)
|
| 4e |
Total program service expenses 454,654,476
|
Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.