Experience the wonder and curiosity that drives exploration.
The public is invited to join Boise State community members from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2026 at the Student Union Building Simplot Ballroom for An Evening with National Geographic Explorers as four adventurers, researchers and storytellers share firsthand accounts from their global journeys—from the far corners of the world to the critical intersections of human and natural environments.
The presenters
“What We Lose, What We Love: In Celebration of Glaciers”
M Jackson is a geographer, glaciologist and science communicator, who has spent more than two 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 Explorer, Jackson is also a three-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, Jackson has traveled around the world—from Greenland and Scandinavia to frosty Antarctica, among other destinations. Currently, Jackson 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, Jackson 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 two surly cats.
“When Volcanoes Roar: Stories (and Sounds) from Exploding Volcanoes, Boiling Lava Lakes and Catastrophic Mudflows”
Jeffrey Johnson is a Boise State University professor and explorer with a research focus on volcanology and infrasound science. Infrasound means that he ‘listens’ to and interprets Earth processes, including hazards like volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches, wildfires, and debris flows, using low-frequency-sensitive microphones. His first geo-passion is volcanology. He has worked on more than 30 active volcanoes in 15 countries (across all continents) to study eruption dynamics through support from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, and Fulbright.
Johnson is currently a professor in the Department of Geosciences where he advises a group of graduate and undergraduate students who design and build sensors for geophysical study.
“Guardians of Life: Indigenous Science, Indigenous Wisdom and Restoring the Planet”
Photographer, speaker, and National Geographic Explorer Kiliii Yüyan captures the profound interconnectedness of humanity and the natural world, from the depths of frozen seas to the heart of remote Indigenous communities. Of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé descent, Yüyan utilizes a cross-cultural lens and years of deep immersion to document life at the edges of the world—whether he is diving inside icebergs, building traditional kayaks, or facing down stalking polar bears.
A recipient of the 2023 National Geographic Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling, his sensory, holistic imagery has been featured in 17 stories for National Geographic magazine, alongside TIME, and Vogue, and is held in museum collections across the United States. While he is a dynamic keynote speaker who has graced stages like TEDx and NatGeo Live, this Seattle-based explorer is most at home beneath the surface of the ocean or atop the shifting Arctic ice, dedicated to preserving a living link to his northern Indigenous heritage.
“The Psychology of Connection: Building Empathy for Animals in Education”
Jennie Warmouth is a National Geographic Explorer, educator, and researcher who has spent 25 years developing innovative approaches to empathy education. She holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Washington, where she also serves as an adjunct faculty member. A Fulbright alumna and Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, her research on the psychology of human-animal interaction has involved fieldwork in the U.S., Scotland, Arctic Svalbard, Thailand, and the Galápagos Islands.
Warmouth was named a Global Teacher Prize finalist, ranking in the Top 50 worldwide for her transformative work connecting children to the natural world. Jennie teaches second grade at a public, Title I, dual-language elementary school where students speak 49 different home languages. Her pedagogical approach centers on cultural perspectives and student voice.
Warmouth serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Progressive Animal Welfare Society, a non-profit organization that provides rescue, rehabilitation, and wild release to over 150 different species of wild animals per year. Her signature PAWS Partnership Project has helped over 1,500 shelter animals find homes through student-created advocacy work, while her “Bear With Us” initiative uses the story of orphaned black bear cubs to teach interspecies empathy and conservation. Her current National Geographic-funded work develops empathy-based wildlife education toolkits that incorporate nonviolent communication principles, creating pathways for diverse learners to connect meaningfully with the more-than-human world.