National Geographic Student Expeditions - Meet Our Experts & Trip Leaders

Meet Our Experts and Trip Leaders

Our Experts

There are some careers out there that we all dream of having someday. An archaeologist or a filmmaker, perhaps, or a National Geographic photographer. On each expedition, you'll be joined by a National Geographic expert—photographers, writers, anthropologists, wildlife biologists, and explorers who have pursued their dreams and become leaders in their fields. Our experts will join each group for three to eight days to share their insights and experience, give you guidance in crafting your On Assignment project, and inspire you with their passion for the work they do and the places you'll explore. Meet a few of the experts who will join our expeditions.

MASSIMO BASSANO

On the Rome and Greece expedition and on our Tuscany On Campus program, meet Massimo Bassano, whose work has been published in National Geographic Traveler and on nationalgeographic.com. Massimo has developed quite a following teaching National Geographic photography workshops in Tuscany and Venice. His acclaimed photography book, The Color of Silence, detailed the 12 weeks he spent in a little-known Italian monastery.

FORD COCHRAN

Environmental scientist and writer Ford Cochran conducted fieldwork on Hawaii's volcanoes and in its rain forests, savannas, and deserts while a Yale graduate student. He has joined National Geographic research expeditions to Iceland, the Mediterranean, Costa Rica, and the Canadian Rockies. Ford has written for National Geographic magazine, helped launch nationalgeographic.com in 1996, and is now an editorial director and blogger for the website. Ford will join our Iceland and Hawaii programs. Read interviews with Ford about Iceland and Hawaii.

TAYLOR EDWARDS

Conservation biologist Taylor Edwards is a scientist at the University of Arizona where he oversees public testing for National Geographic's Genographic Project, an innovative project that traces geneology back 60,000 years using DNA. Taylor combines wildlife ecology and molecular biology in an emerging field called conservation genetics. Aside from his enthusiasm for hiking and scuba diving, Taylor is an aficionado of reptiles and amphibians, so be prepared to gain a new admiration for creepy and crawly things! Taylor will join our On Campus program in Costa Rica.

ANNA ESTES

Wildlife ecologist Anna Estes' introduction to eastern Africa began as a child when her parents were studying wildebeest in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. Anna became involved with National Geographic in the late 1990s when she worked with her father on a Society-sponsored study in Ngorongoro Crater, a project that led to the publication of one of her photographs in National Geographic magazine (December 1998). Anna is a PhD candidate in ecology at the University of Virginia. She is currently working on her dissertation on movement and habitat use among elephants in multiple land-use areas. Anna will join our Tanzania expedition.

KIP EVANS

Kip Evans is a professional photographer and underwater explorer. During the past 10 years he has worked on a number of National Geographic Society projects including the Sustainable Seas Expeditions, where he served as the chief photographer for noted marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle. During this period Kip spent over 300 hours diving submersibles at depths down to 1,800 feet. Kip's images have been widely published in hundreds of books, exhibits, and documentaries worldwide including National Geographic magazine, Patagonia, and Outside. In addition to his photography experience, Kip has worked as a marine biologist, expedition leader, and an educator for the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Kip will join our On Campus program in Monterey Bay.

PETER FROST

Peter Frost is a writer, photographer, and National Geographic grantee who has spent most of his life exploring Peru. His published works include a guide to the Cusco region and a well-known book on Machu Picchu. Peter has led National Geographic archaeological expeditions into the remote region of Vilcabamba, where he discovered the Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina (National Geographic magazine, February 2004). Peter lives in Cusco and will join our expedition to Peru in Cusco and Machu Picchu.

KIM HEACOX

Writer, photographer, and conservationist Kim Heacox has lived in Alaska for 25 years and has written four books for National Geographic, most recently An American Idea: The Making of the National Parks. He is also the author of Alaska Light and the memoir, The Only Kayak: A Journey into the Heart of Alaska. A highly respected expert on Alaska and a gifted storyteller, Kim lives near Glacier Bay with his wife, Melanie, and their two kayaks. He will join our Alaska expedition in Denali National Park.

ULLA LOHMANN

Photojournalist, filmmaker, and adventurer Ulla Lohmann is based in the German Alps, but spends much of her time working with indigenous cultures in Australia and the South Pacific. Ulla is a regular contributor for the National Geographic Channel and National Geographic magazine (France), and has appeared in several television programs for National Geographic and BBC. Her work as a photo and video journalist has taken her on active expeditions into jungles, deserts, alpine terrain, caves, and the underwater world. She has sailed around the world, explored volcanoes in Vanuatu and traversed the African continent using only bio-diesel. Ulla will join the Australia expedition at the Great Barrier Reef.

GREG MARSHALL

Greg Marshall is a biologist and filmmaker, and an executive producer for National Geographic Television. Greg invented the Crittercam, a camera that is attached to an animal to capture images of the world through the animal's eyes. The devices have provided valuable insight into the behavior and daily life of more than 40 species, including blue whales, black turtles, and manta rays. The Crittercam has enabled Greg to study and document marine and terrestrial life around the world—from Costa Rica and Kenya to Antarctica. Greg will join the Ecuador & the Galápagos expedition.

TIERNEY THYS

National Geographic Emerging Explorer Tierney Thys is a marine biologist and filmmaker who studies some of the ocean's largest animals. From giant ocean sunfish, or molas, in Baja California, to whale sharks in Taiwan, she has led and participated in numerous research expeditions around the world. Long-time resident of Monterey Bay, Tierney is currently compiling a book on molas. Tierney will join our On Campus program in Monterey Bay, California. Read an interview with Tierney.

AMY TOENSING

Photojournalist Amy Toensing has been on assignments around the world, producing stories that reflect the lives of ordinary people. A graduate of College of the Atlantic, Amy has photographed nine stories for National Geographic magazine, including a March 2003 article on the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico and a November 2007 piece on the kingdom of Tonga. Her story on Monhegan Island, a winter lobstering and artist community off the Maine coast, was featured in the July 2001 issue. Amy will join our On Campus program in Bar Harbor, Maine.

ALISON WRIGHT

Documentary photographer Alison Wright has spent her career capturing the universal spirit of humanity through her photographs. Her work documents the traditions of and changes in endangered cultures and people in remote areas around the world. Alison's photographs have been published in many National Geographic publications, and she has received top awards for both her writing and photography. Alison will join our China expedition during our time in the Guilin area, and the India expedition during our stay in Ladakh. Read an interview with Alison.

Our Trip Leaders

CHARLES DYE

University of Arizona, BA; Montana State University, MFA. Charles is an independent filmmaker and photographer based in Bozeman, Montana. His films include Saving the Snow Leopards of Mongolia, which appeared on National Geographic Wild Chronicles in 2002; and Last of the Gum Men, about chicle harvesters in the jungles of Guatemala, which aired on PBS. Formerly a professional cyclist—and still a cycling enthusiast—Charles spent six years racing cyclo-cross and mountain bikes in Europe, Japan, and North America.

ELIE GARDNER

University of Missouri, BJ. An award-winning photojournalist, Elie studied at the Poynter Institute on a fellowship for young journalists and directs the photo sequence at the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists' Minority Journalism Workshop. She has held photography internships with the Columbia Daily Tribune; the Grand Forks Herald; and the Tico Times in San José, Costa Rica. Elie is currently an adjunct professor at Webster University and a staff photographer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

MICHAEL HANSON

Washington and Lee University, BA. Michael is a travel and documentary photographer whose clients have included the New York Times, USA Today, and National Geographic Adventure. He majored in Spanish in college and studied abroad in Mendoza, Argentina. Michael co-founded a photography workshop in Birmingham, Alabama; completed independent photography projects in Chile, Guatemala, and Ecuador; and spent a month on a remote Fijian island photographing indigenous fishing techniques as a member of a National Geographic-funded research team.

ULYANA HORODYSKYJ

Rice University, BS; Brown University, PhD candidate. Uly majored in Earth science at Rice. During her senior year, she joined a team on an icebreaker in Antarctica, studying climate-related glacial erosion. She has participated in numerous international scientific field expeditions, including observing the effects of climate change on coral reefs in Belize and monitoring active volcanoes in Hawaii and Russia. At Brown, she is researching climate and weathering processes in Iceland and Antarctica. Uly is an experienced and widely traveled mountaineer and ice climber.

MIKE KAUTZ

Middlebury College, BA; University of Montana, MFA. A photographer, writer, and avid outdoorsman, Mike taught kids from underserved communities at a National Geographic Photo Camp in Maine, completed a photojournalism internship at the Salt Lake Tribune, and worked as a publications photographer for Overland Adventures. Mike is currently teaching at a university in eastern Turkey on a Fulbright grant.

PATRICK MCLAUGHLIN

St. Lawrence University, BS; Drexel University, PhD candidate. Patrick developed a passion for field research and travel as a biology and environmental studies major, and was awarded a university fellowship in field biology. He has worked as a fisheries technician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Vermont, a snow-coach guide in Yellowstone, and a director of the environmental education program for the Grand Teton Lodge Company. He has researched endangered primates in Equatorial Guinea and is currently studying biodiversity conservation.

ALEXANDRA SILVA

Cornell University, BS. Alex was an animal science major and a natural resources minor, with an emphasis on wildlife and habitat preservation. She spent a semester at the Universidad San Fransisco de Quito, where she studied and traveled the varied regions of Ecuador and served as a veterinary technician at an animal hospital. At Cornell, Alex was a teaching assistant for a course on domestic animal biology and a journalist for the New York Forest Owners Association newsletter. This fall, Alex began a two-year fellowship with Environment America, an environmental advocacy organization.

HOPE THORNTON

St. Lawrence University, BA; School for International Training, MA. Hope spent her junior year of college in Kenya, where she lived in a farming community and studied trade beads on the spice route in Mombasa. She later spent a year in Malawi working on wildlife-conservation and sustainable-agriculture projects. Hope has led student programs in Tanzania for the past four years and is now back in Malawi working as an advisor on the Ministry of Education's school health and nutrition policy.