Speaker Series

DOUG SMITH:
WILD WOLVES OF YELLOWSTONE

Thursday, January 15, 2026 · 7:30 PM

The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Yellowstone National Park contains many stories, including one of the best case studies in wildlife conservation. Wildlife biologist and National Geographic Explorer Doug Smith led the project that reintroduced gray wolves in the 1990s. We join him on assignment in the park to see how the landscape has changed since the wolves arrived, including never-before-seen photos and videos of the quest to bring back this apex predator.

KEITH LADZINSKI:
FORCES OF NATURE

Thursday, February 26, 2026 · 7:30 PM

The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Whether dangling from ropes thousands of feet up to document first ascents in interior Antarctica, storm chasing in Tornado Alley, scaling ancient giant Redwoods, or diving with wild alligators in the Florida Everglades, Keith Ladzinski goes to the extreme to capture the moment and share it with us. Journey to the farthest reaches of our planet in this sweeping look at nature and man.

DAVID McLAIN:
BLUE ZONES & UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF LONGEVITY

Thursday, April 30, 2026 · 7:30 PM

The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Join photographer David McLain on a journey to a life well-lived as he uncovers the secrets of the Blue Zones—where people around the planet regularly live vibrant and healthy lives beyond 100. David has spent 15 years working alongside author Dan Buettner to study the habits and rituals of centenarians in five geographic locations: Loma Linda, California; the Nicoya peninsula of Costa Rica; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; and Okinawa, Japan. Now, through personal anecdotes and scientific research, David shares how adopting practices they share—an ocean apart—can add eight to 10 quality years to our own lives.

TRACY DRAIN:
COSMIC ADVENTURES

Thursday, May 14, 2026 · 7:30 PM 

The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Discover the marvels of our cosmic backyard through the eyes of the robotic spacecraft sent out to explore it. Aerospace engineer and National Geographic Explorer Tracy Drain works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop, test, and operate the complex machines that uncover some of the countless mysteries within (and way beyond!) our solar system. Among her projects: rovers on Mars, a mission to Jupiter, and a hunt for exoplanets that reshaped our entire understanding of the galaxy.

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