Nat Geo explorer to take audience on jungle canopy journey

Nalini Nadkarni, a tree canopy ecologist and National Geographic Explorer at Large, will present the program “From Roots to Canopy” at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Nov. 1.

Nadkarni will take the audience into the mysterious worlds of the forest canopy beginning at 7 p.m. in Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. Nadkarni also is presenting a matinee program earlier in the day for schoolchildren in the region.

Tickets, which are $10 for the public, $5 for faculty and staff, and free for high school and college students, are available at the Pitt-Bradford Arts box office or by calling the box office at 814-362-5113.

For more than 40 years, Nadkarni has explored breathtaking, unseen ecosystems high above the ground, dangling among the branches to study and discover a hidden world teeming with life and mystery.

During the program, Nadkarni will show stunning visuals and tell captivating stories to take the audience on a journey through the treetops, revealing how these majestic canopies support an incredible diversity of life and why they’re vital to the planet’s survival. 

Nadkarni has contributed to 150 scientific papers and books and has cast new insights on the importance of canopy plants in ecosystem processes and the effects of human activities on forest diversity and function.

Her work in the Costa Rican rain forest was featured in the 1988 PBS series “The Second Voyage of Mimi,” which was developed to teach middle schoolers about science and social studies. Nadkarni is the author of “Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees” and has delivered TED Talks on “Conserving the Canopy” and “Life Science in Prison.” 

Nadkarni’s work also is featured in academic journals and in public media such as NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, Science Friday and Radiolab. Her awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the AAAS Award for Public Engagement, the National Science Foundation Award for Public Service, The Wilson Award for the Advancement of Social Justice, and the Archie Carr Medal for Conservation. 

She’s currently a professor in the biology department at the University of Utah.