National Geographic Explorers’ Symposium

M Jackson

Geographer, Glaciologist, Science Communicator

Dr. M Jackson is a geographer, glaciologist and science communicator, who has spent more than 2 decades studying ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. As part of her work and research, she examines glaciers, climate change and the effect of both on ice-centric communities. A National Geographic Emerging Explorer, M is also a 3-time US Fulbright Scholar and a US Fulbright Ambassador, and she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia. She earned her doctorate from the University of Oregon, where she explored the impact of climate change on the people and communities of Iceland.

As an expert for National Geographic Expeditions, M has traveled around the world—from Greenland and Scandinavia to frosty Antarctica, among other destinations. Currently, M is the lead scientist on the Netflix series Pirate Gold of Adak Island and the host of the Crash Course web series Climate and Energy. A TED Fellow, M is an in-demand public speaker, as well as the author of the award-winning books The Ice Sings Back, The Secret Lives of Glaciers and While Glaciers Slept: Being Human in a Time of Climate Change. She lives in Eugene, Oregon with her spouse, son and 2 surly cats. 

Kiliii Yüyan

Photographer

Photographer Kiliii Yüyan is a storyteller who seeks to understand the world from many human perspectives. He's survived a hunting polar bear, charmed snakes in the sea, and found a place among communities at the edges of the world - all with a smile on his face. From his Hézhè (East Asian Indigenous) and Chinese ancestry, Yüyan was driven to be curious about the natural world. For 20 years he built and paddled traditional kayaks, immersing himself in the practice of his ancestors. Today, he is a photographer committed to telling stories that help humanity understand itself and its relationship to mother earth. Yüyan has photographed the cover of National Geographic Magazine three times, producing 14 stories for National Geographic since 2015, from a cover story on Indigenous North America to migratory birds of the Arctic. His 2020 National Geographic Society-funded project resulted in five stories on Indigenous stewardship from Mongolia to Palau, comprising the July 2024 issue of the magazine. He is on an international speaking tour with National Geographic Live in 2024-2025, called "Life on Thin Ice." Yüyan is the 2023 recipient of the National Geographic Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling. He is also an award-winning contributor to TIME, Vogue and WIRED.

Jennie Warmouth

Psychologist, Educator, Researcher

Jennie Warmouth (she/her) is an educator and a researcher focused on the psychology of human-animal interaction and children’s development of empathy. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in educational psychology: learning sciences human development and cognition. She teaches second grade in a public elementary school and graduate level courses at the University of Washington. Warmouth is a Fulbright alumna (Scotland and Ghana), a published children’s book author, and an instructional designer. Warmouth traveled to Arctic Svalbard (2019) and the Galápagos Islands (2021) as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. Warmouth’s National Geographic funded project centers on the lifesaving wildlife rehabilitation work conducted by the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Warmouth has partnered with PAWS for nearly two decades and currently serves as a Board Director. Her project focuses on the development of educational curricula related to the rehabilitation and wild release of orphaned American black bear cubs. Warmouth’s project-based learning curricula and more-than-human approach to empathy development have been featured on the National Geographic Education Blog, in the Seattle Times, and in the University of Washington Alumni Magazine. Warmouth believes whole-heartedly in the power of storytelling to inspire the next generation of wildlife conservationists.

Jeff Johnson

Geologist, Mountaineer, Researcher

Jeffrey Johnson climbs and studies volcanoes all over the world. Johnson's primary research is focused on actively exploding or effusing volcanoes, where he takes measurements of earthquakes, sound waves, deformation signals, thermal and gas flux, and flies drones around craters. As a specialist in expedition-based data collection he often blurs the line between job and recreation. He is currently managing five projects, including one focused on snow avalanche monitoring, one on earthquake infrasound, and three focused on active volcanoes, one of which is focused on science film-based storytelling. The storytelling project's objective is to portray volcano STEM in a culturally sensitive, non-sensationalistic manner. His inspiration to communicate science 'stems' from previous collaboration with television documentaries including those sponsored by BBC and PBS in Congo, Italy, Canada, Ecuador, and Guatemala. Johnson has B.S. and M.S. degrees from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Washington. Currently he is an associate professor of geophysics at Boise State University where he manages a group of graduate and undergraduate students who design and build sensors for volcanoes.