Award-Winning Photographer and Explorer Dr. Gabby Salazar Comes to Campus

The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science is delighted to host Gabby Salazar, Ph.D., an award-winning photographer and National Geographic Explorer, as a part of the Nat and Dorothy Hyman Science Lecture Series. Join Salazar on her breathtaking travels for her lecture titled, “Expedition Science: A Photographer’s Journey to the World’s Wildest Places,” on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m., within the Live Oak Pavilion, Student Union, Boca Raton campus. A reception with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will instantly comply with the lecture. 

Salazar, an environmental social scientist, will share her thrilling adventures and reveal behind-the-scenes moments, together with stunning discoveries from the frontlines of exploration, together with tales from a few of her favourite subject expeditions to distant places like Borneo, Indonesia and southeastern Guatemala. The occasion, open to the general public, in addition to all Florida Atlantic college, workers and college students, is freed from cost. Guests can register here.  

As an environmental social scientist, Salazar research the complicated relationships between folks and the pure setting. She particularly focuses on how social, cultural and psychological elements affect environmental points and human conduct. 

Salazar has at all times been a curious one who loves exploring new locations and concepts. Her ardour for images started at age 11 when her father gave her a digicam. Since then, she has traveled extensively throughout North America and to over 40 international locations, capturing photos of nature and wildlife. 

Early on in her profession, Salazar was photographing birds on a seaside that was suffering from plastic. She maneuvered round, attempting to get an angle that didn’t present the plastic—solely the pure fantastic thing about nature.  

“I suddenly realized that this was not showing the true reality of the situation, and I decided to zoom out and show the plastic along with the birds,” recalled Salazar. “Ignoring the reality of environmental problems can make us feel better, but it does not lead to any change. I wanted to start using my photography to influence conservation efforts, so I needed to tell the full story.” 

For nearly a decade, Salazar labored as a full-time conservation photographer, producing photos for tales and movies about environmental issues and options. While she was working on this subject, she turned more and more fascinated about whether or not her work—and her colleagues’ work—was making an impression on the problems they cared about. This curiosity led Salazar to return to highschool to pursue a grasp’s diploma in Conservation Science at Imperial College London.  

“I wanted to understand how to evaluate the impact of conservation campaigns and education programs,” shared Salazar. “The more I learned, the more curious I became, and I eventually went on to pursue a Ph.D. on a related topic at the University of Florida. I call myself an ‘environmental social scientist’ because my work is so interdisciplinary. It draws on methods form a range of fields, including communications, anthropology, sociology and psychology, to answer questions about human relationships with the natural environment.”   

In 2011, Salazar turned a National Geographic Explorer when she acquired her first grant from the National Geographic Society to work on a images venture in Peru. Since then, she has been a part of a number of grant-funded initiatives with National Geographic, together with most lately, a venture to check and doc the primary identified petrified forest in Guatemala. 

“The project has been an artistic challenge because petrified wood essentially looks like a rock,” famous Salazar. “Many of my projects involve charismatic animals, which are relatively easy to photograph. With the petrified forest, I have had to figure out ways to make visually engaging images of a less obviously charismatic subject. To do this, I have used tools like microscopes and drones, and I have also focused on the scientists who are doing the research. It has been a fun challenge!” 

Salazar’s work has earned her notable recognition, together with the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) Emerging Photographer of the Year in 2021 and BBC Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2004. She can also be an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers. Glamour Magazine acknowledged her as one of many Top 10 College Women within the United States in 2008. 

Committed to conservation and schooling, Salazar has collaborated on initiatives just like the Wild Shaale conservation schooling program in India, which has reached over 50,000 kids. In 2022, Salazar co-authored a kids’s e-book, “No Boundaries: 25 Women Explorers and Scientists Share Adventures, Inspiration and Advice,” with National Geographic Kids Books. The e-book was named one of many Best STEM Books for Ok-12 in 2023 by the National Science Teaching Association.  

“Education and storytelling are powerful tools to spark curiosity and connect kids with nature,” mentioned Salazar. “At a time when many children spend most of their time indoors and on screens, it is more important than ever to create opportunities that get them outside, exploring and learning. Environmental education programs and creative storytelling not only teach kids about the natural world, they also inspire them to care for it. By helping kids fall in love with nature, we can nurture stewardship values, and hopefully, a lifelong commitment to protecting our plan.” 

The Nat and Dorothy Hyman (NDH) Science Lecture Series was made doable by Florida Atlantic alumnus Jerry Hyman, son of Nat and Dorothy Hyman. The NDH Science Lecture Series was created to encourage and encourage college students within the sciences and supply entry to instructional lectures by leaders within the scientific fields for Florida Atlantic college students, college and group members, freed from cost. This lecture sequence is organized by the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. 

Click right here for extra details about the Nat and Dorothy Hyman Science Lecture Series.