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NEW YORK, NY (May 22, 2026) – Now in its second year, The Explorers Club Teaching Fellowship welcomes five Teaching Fellows for the year of 2026: Michael Aitkenhead, Isabella Liu, Jason Maas-Baldwin, and Crystal Ramirez-Klein will join Explorers Club member and geothermal scientist, Andrés Ruzo on expedition to Peru’s Boiling River; and Katie Mauro will join Explorers Club member and expedition leader, Trevor Wallace, and returning Teaching Fellow Julie Klipfel, on the Menorca Shipwreck Project.
The Explorers Club Teaching Fellowship was founded to provide hands-on, field experience to teachers so that they can model to their students the traits of world-class explorers: curiosity, collaboration, and confidence. By impacting teachers, The Explorers Club Teaching Fellowship hopes to create explorer-educators and impact the next generation of explorers. This program is open to all current K-12 classroom teachers based in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Upon their return from expedition, Teaching Fellows will serve as ambassadors for The Explorers Club and exploration in the classroom, by hosting local explorers at their schools, and creating lesson plans based on their experience for The Explorers Club and teachers worldwide.
“The Teaching Fellowship reflects one of the core missions of The Explorers Club: to expand our knowledge of the world and to share that knowledge,” says Barbara Doran, President of The Explorers Club. “This second cohort of educators are not only joining remarkable expeditions, they are becoming ambassadors for curiosity and scientific exploration in their classrooms and in their communities.”
This year’s Teaching Fellows bring a wide range of expertise and classroom experiences from across North America, spanning K-12 education. Representing K-12 classrooms in Connecticut, Oregon, California, and Ontario, the 2026 cohort includes educators teaching across subjects from Dual Language Education and Library Media to Engineering, AP Environmental Science, and AP Chemistry, reflecting the interdisciplinary spirit of exploration.
“The Explorers Club aims to promote exploration by all means possible – to be the home for exploration, and the place where its future is defined,” said Andrés Ruzo, expedition leader and fellow of The Explorers Club. “We cannot fully accomplish this without engaging in K-12 education, and particularly with teachers and educational specialists that bring the world into the classroom and plant the seeds of exploration in young minds. By incorporating teachers as full-fledged members on technical expeditions–not as tourists, but as educational specialists and contributing members of the field team– we expand the impact of our work. Most Americans cannot name a single living scientist. Every student taught by an Explorers Club Teaching Fellow can name a few.”
Applications to participate in The Explorers Club Teaching Fellowship in 2027 will open in November 2026. Applications are open to K-12 classroom teachers in North America.
Your support puts teachers in the field.
Meet the 2026 Cohort below.
Michael Aitkenhead is an environmental science teacher in Connecticut, driven by a belief that students are not just learners—they are the solution to the world’s greatest challenges. In his classroom, he moves beyond traditional instruction, engaging students in real-world environmental problem-solving through community projects, service, and civic action. But that philosophy comes with responsibility. Michael believes that in order to inspire students to “be the change,” you must be willing to live it yourself. So, much of his life—personally and professionally—is rooted in sustainability and conservation work. For 18 years, he has led students on service expeditions across Latin America with Builders Beyond Borders. He also spent eight years living on and directing an educational farm, where his family built a working model of sustainable living while engaging the broader community. As a husband and father, these experiences have shaped his understanding of stewardship and legacy.
His path began with formative field experiences: conservation work along the Appalachian Trail, studying rainforest ecology in Costa Rica, and living within an Indigenous community in Nicaragua. These moments instilled a love of scientific inquiry, a respect for the complexity of environmental challenges, and a deep appreciation for Indigenous knowledge. They also sparked a lifelong passion for adventure. Michael views this opportunity as more than a return to exploration—it is a chance to reignite the sense of wonder that first shaped his path, and to carry that energy back to his students so they can see, feel, and believe that meaningful change is not only possible, but theirs to lead.
Isabella Liu is an award-winning educator and Innovation & Technology Coordinator at an independent school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she designs learning experiences that bring the world into the classroom; and the classroom into the world. A recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM, Isabella believes that the most powerful learning happens beyond the four walls of the classroom, in the messy, unpredictable, and wonder-filled spaces where real science lives.
As a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, Isabella conducted field research in the Galápagos Islands, testing ocean water quality alongside her expedition partner. She returned with data, stories, and curriculum that transformed how her students understand conservation and chemistry. This experience cemented her conviction that teachers must be explorers first.
Isabella specializes in digital storytelling and experiential learning design, helping educators craft inquiry-driven experiences rooted in authentic, real-world contexts. She is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator, and an active contributor to professional learning communities across North America and Asia. She is deeply committed to making exploration visible, accessible, and transformative for every learner she serves.
Jason Maas-Baldwin has been teaching science for well over 20 years and has been at Carmel High School for 18 of those years, where he is known for bringing energy, curiosity, and real world relevance into the classroom. His love for nature and passion for environmentalism were first sparked by formative experiences in the mountains of California. This passion is reflected in his attention to and love for creative lesson design that gives way to engaging and enduring hands on experiences that push students beyond traditional learning, getting them out of their seats and into meaningful, real world applications through service learning and experiential science education.
Jason earned his undergraduate degree from UC San Diego, where his academic journey took him to the rainforests of Costa Rica to complete a bachelor’s thesis on leaf cutter ant behavior. He later earned a master’s degree in watershed science from CSU Monterey Bay, focusing on urban watershed restoration, an interest that continues to shape his teaching and environmental work, helping students better understand the ecosystems around them.
He serves as adviser to the Carmel High Environmental Club, supporting student-led projects that make a measurable impact in the community, and leads the annual Carmel High desert trip, guiding over 50 students through a physically and emotionally challenging experience centered on resilience, connection, and growth.
Outside of school, Jason is happily married and spends his time raising three awesome young humans, exploring the outdoors with his dog Juno, chasing waterfalls wherever he can find them, and playing bluegrass music with the Bubba Pickens Band.
Crystal Ramirez-Klein, EdD is an elementary educator currently teaching 4th grade and an emerging leader in Dual Language Bilingual Education, dedicated to creating equitable and engaging learning experiences for multilingual students. She brings a strong commitment to culturally sustaining teaching and inquiry-based learning, encouraging students to explore the world through curiosity, critical thinking, and real-world connections.
In her classroom, Crystal integrates science with literacy and language development, creating opportunities for students to engage in hands-on investigations and collaborative learning. She is especially passionate about expanding access to high-quality science education for students from historically underserved communities, ensuring they see themselves as scientists, explorers, and problem-solvers.
Crystal’s research focuses on the experiences of bilingual educators of color and the systems that support or hinder their success, grounding her work in social justice and equity. She actively collaborates with colleagues and school leaders to strengthen instructional practices and foster inclusive school environments.
As an Explorers Club Teaching Fellow, Crystal is eager to participate in a science expedition that will deepen her content knowledge and bring authentic scientific experiences back to her students. She is excited to translate field-based learning into meaningful classroom opportunities that inspire curiosity, environmental awareness, and a lifelong love of discovery.
Katie Mauro connects science, exploration, and storytelling to design cross-curricular learning experiences that deepen geographic awareness and foster an Explorer Mindset. A former National Geographic & Lindblad Expeditions Grosvenor Teacher Fellow and Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, she brings over a decade of experience as an elementary Library Media Specialist. In her library and makerspace, students design, collaborate, and problem-solve as they investigate the world and their place in it.
With degrees in Biological Sciences and Library Science, Katie bridges the gap between field science and the classroom. As an avid diver, she is passionate about ocean exploration and sharing the wonders of the marine world with her students. Her work centers on empowering learners to see themselves as the next generation of explorers, ready to investigate everything from their own backyards to the mysteries of the deep.
Julie Klipfel, an Explorers Club Member, is a 4th grade teacher at Howe-Manning Elementary School in Middleton, Massachusetts, and an adjunct professor at Salem State University. She is passionate about leveraging technology and innovative teaching practices to help young learners explore the intricate relationship between global awareness, local action, and our shared interconnectedness.
As an Explorers Club Teacher Fellow with expedition experience at the Boiling River in the Peruvian Amazon, a National Geographic & Lindblad Grosvenor Teacher Fellow who explored Patagonia, and a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow in Senegal, Julie brings extraordinary field experiences directly into her classroom through virtual reality and immersive storytelling. Julie inspires her students to approach the world with curiosity, empathy, and a sense of adventure, nurturing the next generation of explorers and changemakers.
Having experienced the transformative power of uniting exploration with education as an inaugural Explorers Club Teacher Fellow, Julie now returns as a mentor for the second cohort, guiding fellow educators as they bring the spirit of exploration into their classrooms and communities and amplify the impact of exploration far beyond the field.
Andrés Ruzo is a geothermal scientist, conservationist, educator, and communicator whose aim is to connect people with nature. He is best known for his work on Peru’s Boiling River of the Amazon, where in 2011, he became the first geoscientist to receive the shamanic blessing to study this sacred Amazonian site. His work at the Boiling River has expanded since that first visit, resulting in his founding of the Boiling River Project, an international nonprofit effort to understand and protect this site and further advocate for the conservation and responsible use of geothermal systems across the globe. He is an honoree of the EC50 Class of 2022 and recipient of the Lowell Thomas Award in 2024. He is also a TED Main Stage Speaker, TEDBook Author, National Geographic Explorer, and host. He has also received various honors, awards, and recognitions for his work. Andrés is currently finishing his PhD at SMU in Dallas, Texas, and is a proud member of the Texas Chapter of The Explorers Club.
Trevor Wallace is an explorer-filmmaker and educator serving on The Explorers Club Board of Directors, former VP of Research & Education, and the Club’s 2018 “New Explorer of the Year.” He leads the multi-year Menorca Shipwreck Project in Cala en Busquets (Ciutadella), uniting underwater archaeology, naval architecture, and community engagement. Through the project’s field school and PADI “Exploration Diver: Underwater Archaeology” specialty, he mentors students and documents early 13th-century and later wrecks. He partners with Spanish institutions and The Ocean Foundation to expand scholarships and public outreach.
About The Explorers Club:
Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary, professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation. Headquartered in New York City with a community of chapters around the world, The Explorers Club has been supporting scientific expeditions of all disciplines, uniting our members in the bonds of good fellowship. Its members have traversed the earth, seas, skies, and even the moon, on expeditions. Members of The Explorers Club have been the first humans to the North Pole, South Pole, the summit of Mount Everest, the deepest point in the ocean, and the surface of the moon. Notable members include Teddy Roosevelt, Kathryn Sullivan, Jeff Bezos, Walter Cronkite, James Cameron, Neil Armstrong, Jane Goodall, Edmund Hillary, John Glenn, Sally Ride and Bob Ballard.
