Oceans, Dinosaurs and More Set for National Geographic's 2015-16 Speaker Series at NYU Skirball
By: BWW News Desk Oct. 20, 2015
NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is pleased to partner with National Geographic for a second season of adventure and exploration beginning October 2015 with a four-part speaker series featuring leading photographers, filmmakers, scientists and change-makers.
The series begins with National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, as he shares a stunning visual kaleidoscope of dazzlingly colored fish, lightning-quick reef sharks, and hauntingly beautiful coral -- as well as exciting updates on his most recent successes in protecting the last wild places in the ocean as part of the Pristine Seas project. Then, paleontologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Nizar Ibrahim will take the audience on a prehistoric journey to the Cretaceous-era Sahara as he tells the story of Spinosaurus' discovery, loss, and rediscovery, and explain what -- other than its size -- makes this ancient monster unique. Next up, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner shares her journey to become the first woman to summit all 14 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, an achievement that earned her recognition as one of National Geographic's 2012 Adventurers of the Year. Meet this inspiring mountaineer and hear the dramatic story of how she prepared for and triumphed on K2, told with breathtaking photos and video from the roof of the world. Finally, join Emmy Award-winning natural history cinematographer Bob Poole for unforgettable stories of the rebirth of an epic African wildlife park-and learn how the wild places we've broken can indeed be put back together.
The 2015-2016 four-part series subscription is on sale now starting at $140.00. Single tickets for individual speakers range in price from $35 to $70. Member and student discounts are available. The Explorers Circle package offers VIP perks and access.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.nyuskirball.org/natgeolive, in person at the NYU Skirball Center Box Office: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00-6:00 P.M. or by phone at 212.998.4941. The NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012.
SPEAKER DETAILS (in chronological order):
Enric Sala, Marine Ecologist
PRISTINE SEAS
Tonight, October 20, 2015 | 7:30 PM
Meet a real-life hero offering an inspiring message of hope for the world's oceans - whose work has made a real difference in protecting threatened marine environments.
Marine ecologist Dr. Enric Sala, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, left his academic career to lead National Geographic's Pristine Seas project. These multidisciplinary research expeditions are designed to find, survey, and protect the last healthy, undisturbed places in the ocean -- from tropical "paradises" like the Seychelles to the Pitcairn Islands -- known for the mutiny of the HMS Bounty. Sala believes that only when we understand how healthy marine ecosystems work can we help damaged ones recover.
His efforts have paid off: Pristine Seas has inspired the creation of five of the largest marine reserves in the world -- in Chile, Costa Rica, Kiribati, Gabon, and remote U.S. islands in the central Pacific. In 2014, the National Geographic Society announced a commitment to expand Pristine Seas over the next five years.
Join Sala for a stunning visual kaleidoscope of dazzlingly colored fish, lightning-quick reef sharks, and hauntingly beautiful coral -- and get an update on his most recent successes in protecting these critically important, truly pristine seas.
Sala will be signing copies of his new National Geographic book Pristine Seas: Journeys to the Ocean's Last Wild Places. Visit pristineseas.org to find out more about the Pristine Seas Project and learn how National Geographic is making big waves to save the last wild places in the ocean.
NIZAR IBRAHIM, Paleontologist
SPINOSAURUS: LOST GIANT OF THE CRETACEOUS
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 | 7:30 PM
Meet Spinosaurus, the largest predatory dinosaur yet discovered -- larger than T. rex -- and hear the incredible story of how this prehistoric giant was almost lost to science, before being brought back to light with the help of a remarkable young paleontologist.
Discovered more than half a century ago in Morocco by the great German paleontologist Ernst Stromer, Spinosaurus' fossil remains were lost in the Allied bombing of Germany during World War II. With the help of recent fossil discoveries in the desert, and Stromer's own data and drawings, contemporary scientists including German/Moroccan paleontologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Nizar Ibrahim have reconstructed a full skeletal model of Spinosaurus, which has been featured on PBS/NOVA and is currently serving as the centerpiece of a National Geographic traveling exhibition titled "Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous."
With amazing video recreating the lost world of the Cretaceous-era Sahara, Ibrahim will tell the story of Spinosaurus' discovery, loss, and rediscovery, and explain what -- other than its size -- makes this ancient predator unique.
GERLINDE KALTENBRUNNER, Mountaineer
K2: DANGER and DESIRE on the SAVAGE MOUNTAIN
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 | 7:30 PM
Gerlinde Kaltenbunner didn't climb K2 because she wanted to the world's first woman to summit all 14 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. But that's exactly what she did. She grew up skiing in the mountains of her native Austria, then worked as a nurse, on weekends climbing the local alps. Her unstoppable appetite for adventure finally drove her to break a trail into the male domain of high-altitude mountaineering.
Kaltenbrunner's primary goal for her K2 climb, featured in National Geographic in April 2012, was to be part of a team effort co-led with her husband Ralf Dujmovits, climbing K2 from the remote Chinese side, along the most dangerous route. Known as the mountaineer's mountain, K2 has taken the life of roughly one climber for every four who've succeeded in making the summit. On this expedition, heavy snowfall just before the team's summit attempt increased the danger of avalanches on the mountain's steep slope. The team faced many critical decisions. Two members, including Ralf, decided to abandon the climb halfway through. Kaltenbrunner pushed on with three other climbers, and, despite the dangers, reached the summit first -- making mountaineering history.
Her achievement earned her recognition as National Geographic's 2012 Adventurers of the Year. Meet this astonishing mountaineer and share the dramatic story of how she prepared for and triumphed on K2, told with breathtaking photos and video from the roof of the world.
BOB POOLE, Wildlife Filmmaker
GORONGOSA REBORN: A CAMERAMAN'S JOURNAL
Tuesday, March 29, 2016 | 7:30 PM
Experience an epic African wildlife park through the eyes of Emmy Award-winning natural history cinematographer, Bob Poole.
A childhood in East Africa gave filmmaker Bob Poole a fierce curiosity about the natural world as well as an adventurous spirit. Now, for a new, six-part PBS/National Geographic International series, Bob Poole is drawing on that experience to document the rebirth of Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, a jewel of Africa's parks system until civil war almost destroyed it. There, he joined forces with rangers and scientists (including his sister, renowned elephant researcher Joyce Poole) on perhaps the biggest conservation project on the planet. He'll share secrets of filming lions, crocs, elephants, and spectacular scenery, and tell how he cracked the "Gorongosa code" -- learning to read the landscape and find prime locations for filming the park's spectacular wildlife.
Join the acclaimed filmmaker for unforgettable images and stories of Gorongosa's majestic animals -- and learn how the wild places we've broken can be put back together.
National Geographic Live is the live events division of the National Geographic Society, one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations whose mission is to inspire, illuminate, and teach. With a broad roster of talent including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers and adventurers, National Geographic Live's critically acclaimed programs have connected with audiences worldwide for over a century. Currently, National Geographic Live events are held in 32 cities around the world, including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sydney. In each of these cities, speakers share behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration on stage alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage. In 2014, National Geographic Live events were attended by over 150,000 people. For more information, visit natgeolive.org.
New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for NYU and lower Manhattan. Since opening in 2003, the 860-seat Skirball Center has been an educational and community building resource, providing NYU's first large-scale, professional performance space on campus. Through university events, presentations, and partnerships, the Skirball Center offers a unique multi-arts performance program in its intimate proscenium theater located on the south of Washington Square in the heart of Greenwich Village.
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