NGEN Symposium
Thursday at 2:00pm
The Explorers Club Next Generation Explorers Network (NGEN) is a community of 35-and-under Club Members, founded to increase access, visibility, and provide community for those at the start of their journey in field science and exploration.
Hosted by NGEN Chair and Club Member Grace Cordsen, join us for an inside look at several amazing projects from young members at the forefront of their field work.
- Aisha Rashid – Reproductive rights in Southern Resident killer whales
- Alex Rose – Polar Plasticine
- Federico Perez Vasquez – The Jaguar Expedition: Reconnecting Lost Pathways
- Avery Schuyler Nunn – Breath of the Undersea Jungles
- Kate Broug – A Turning Point in Amazon Conservation
- Meg O’Hara – Navigating the Polar Regions: An Artist’s Journey to Ocean Conservation
- Peter Flo Grinde-Hollevik & Martin Mæle – Ice, Rock, and Snow (Leopards) of Khan Tengri
Charting the Future of Footwear
Thursday at 5:00pm
From the first steps of ancient explorers to the millions of footsteps taken every day across our cities, trails, and remote landscapes, footwear has always been our most universal form of transportation.
Today, the footwear industry stands not at a crossroads, but on the threshold of a remarkable opportunity: to lead a global movement for climate action, supply chain resilience and business creation.
This discussion will underscore how collective action can accelerate climate solutions at the pace and scale the world demands, while celebrating footwear’s unique capacity to inspire culture and mobilize global citizens toward a future where every step leaves a positive impact.
- Yuly Fuentes-Medel – MIT; Founder & Executive Director, The Footwear Collective
- Katy O’Brien – Head of Sustainable Innovation, New Balance
- Deanna Bratter – Chief Sustainability Officer, Crocs
- Elle Carberry – Board Member, EarthDNA
Exploring the Urban Wild & Protecting it as a Climate Solution
Thursday at 7:00pm
Owls, coyotes and myriads of birds live side by side with New Yorkers, in Central Park and other green spaces of the City. They capture New York Times’s readers’ imagination, and draw us into the parks in search of relief from the heat and stress of everyday life. Join leading urban wildlife photographers David Lei and Jacqueline Emery, and world renowned Earth Law expert, Grant Wilson, to explore how urban wildlife made a life beside us, and what we can do to protect their rights to exist.
- Jacqueline Emery – Wildlife Photographer
- David Lei – Wildlife Photographer
- Grant Wilson – Executive Director, Earth Law Center
