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Travel the World without Leaving Your Seat

by Mesa Arts Center | August 12, 2015

One of the luxuries we have in the modern world is being able to capture and document the wonders of the earth. National Geographic is one of the largest organizations that does just that. Although working for National Geographic could be a dangerous career, I would probably die of happiness if I had the opportunity to travel to unimaginable places and shoot stunning photography of world culture and events. Not only do these scientists and adventurists bring these gorgeous photographs to your televisions and print, but they also educate the public on important issues outside of our comfortable potato-chip covered couches.

Mesa Arts Center hosts the only National Geographic Live speaker series in Arizona, and this season brings some extraordinary people.

Most everyone loves going to the beach, but not everyone gets a chance to know what it’s like diving down to the deepest parts of the ocean – Sylvia Earle, oceanographer, aquanaut, and explorer, gives us a fresh look on what is going on in the salty blues. Have you ever stayed in a pool or bathtub so long that your fingers get wrinkly? Well imagine spending a total of over 7,000 hours under the sea! Earle’s time in the water has given her the ability to shine light on marine life preservation.

After you dry off from your underwater adventure, pack your bags, because we’re going to Africa with Emmy Award-winning wildlife cinematographer Bob Poole! In 2012 National Geographic produced the film War Elephants in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park where Bob Poole traveled across the blazing desert of Mali to document the heart-wrenching moments of elephants traumatized by years of civil war and poaching. Listen to his experience of capturing these remarkable moments with these tender and beautiful creatures.

Jurassic World isn’t the only prehistoric news this season. Join Explorer Nizar Ibrahim as he explains his discovery of the FIRST semi-aquatic dinosaur! This German/Moroccan paleontologist was obsessed with this great mystery in paleontology until he discovered a ‘needle in a desert’, AKA bones found in the Kem Kem region of southeastern Morocco.

One of the greatest things about adventure is you never know what you’re going to encounter along the way. Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, 2012 Explorer of the year and Mountaineer is coming to Mesa Arts Center to share her experience as the first woman to climb the world’s 8000-meter peaks WITHOUT oxygen! But with that as just the appetizer –K2, located in Pakistan, was the main course. With 6 tries and 13 years, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was finally able to reach the peak of the second-highest fatality rated mountain in the world - ‘The Savage Mountain.’

The greatest thing about the Nat Geo Live series is the opportunity to relive these fascinating stories through the people who tell them. Don’t miss out on these exciting and life changing tales of adventure!

By Colette Zaborniak

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