Mary Poffenroth
Whether through making original content for TEDed and Wiley & Sons, writing for Science & Forbes, or speaking to live audiences at TEDx & SXSW, Mary Poffenroth’s goals are the same: Make Science Accessible for All. A Salzburg Global Fellow and first generation college student, she holds two masters degrees, one in biology and the other in science communication from Imperial College London. She is the author of Write Present Create: Science Communication for Undergraduates and has taught nearly 20,000 students both in person and online since 2007. Her work has been featured in legacy media outlets such as Time magazine and National Geographic as well as garnering views in the millions with YouTube’s Mahalo. Mary began her research career in astrophysiology at NASA Ames Research Center Moffet Field in 1999 and now focuses her research on the intersection of fear science, communication, and personal/social change as STEM faculty for San Jose State University. Listen to a recent interview with Allie Ward about Fear here Part 1 & Part 2
3 words to describe Nature?
Cleansing. Terrifying. Balancing
3 things Nature taught you?
To be self reliant
To duck under a bush when being shot at
To not pee on your pants while being a lady peeing in the woods
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Muir woods
Big Sur
Any beach on the planet
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Like I’m Home
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Like adventure is afoot
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Exhilarated
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Sunrise = refreshed
Sunset = most likely a bit tipsy if I have taken the time to watch, I am most likely with friends drinking wine on a beach
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Ooohh when is the lightning gonna come
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Ready to jump into (faux) furry blankets with my puppy and a good audio book
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean first, Mountain and forest are the same for me as an equal second, desert is a stark last place
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10… obvi
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I was the outcast for loving nature in my family. My mother abhorred it unless it was tamed by a planter box. But i would find ways, big and small, to sneak into and onto the wild in an attempt to connect to something I did not have words for at the time.
James Zhang
James Zhang has been on the cutting edge of digital entertainment for nearly two decades. Since its founding in 2007, James has built Concept Art House into one of the video game industry’s most celebrated art services companies, and continues to establish lasting partnerships with industry powerhouses such as 2K, Activision/Blizzard, Epic games, Kabam, and Tencent.
James is also a partner at Fifth Era which manages Blockchain Coinvestors - the World’s leading blockchain venture fund of funds. He additionally serves on several Advisory Boards including: 1World Online, a crowdsource service that combines social polling with analytics, DreamView studios, a CGI-product company for eCommerce, Playfull, a gaming rewards platform, Readyup, an Esports events platform and Redemption Games, a leading casual game developer.
3 words to describe Nature?
Cyclical . Balanced. Unpredictable
3 things Nature taught you?
Humility – I’m just one of 6+ billion people living in nature.
Symmetry (Perfect design) – As a concept artist who’s designed my share of creatures and fantasy worlds…nothing I’ve designed is as perfect as what already exists in nature. My dragons may be cool on screen or paper, but they aren’t real and not in harmony with the earth.
Serenity – I’ve found solace is more easily attained on a nice hike or laying by the beach.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Oakland hills – Just the proximity make is special for me. My weekly nature fix. I hike it almost every weekend if I can.
Sierra Nevada – Far enough to ‘get away from it all’, but close enough to get to on a weekend. From Lake Tahoe to Yosemite, from Immigrant Wilderness to Mount Whitney…Sierra Nevada mountain range is where I learned to fall in love with Nature.
Mount Haleakala – Amazing terrain. Parts of it feels like another planet – Mars? Other parts are jungles teaming with life. During sunset, the fog sometimes rolls in under the summit. It’s an incredible view.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Depends on the time and waves, from shore or in the middle of the Ocean… Generally, I feel free and alive. At night, in the middle of the Ocean feels…I would feel insignificant.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Depends on the season. Spring/Summer: I feel replenished and refreshed. Autumn/Winter: I generally feel nostalgia. I feel private.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Excitement, energetic, especially an active volcano
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Reflective, emotional, humble, grateful
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Vigilant, Alert, sometimes frightened if loud/close
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cold, lonely, melancholy
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean or mountain. Probably ocean – I love fish/fishing.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9.2
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Cat fishing in Alabama creeks. I grew up in Northern Alabama during the late 80s and early 90s. The city I grew up in, Huntsville was population 100,000 and basically nestled in between rural woods and farms. Some of my favorite memories in high school was going into the backwoods and remote farms with my buddies. For most of 1994, my 3 besties and I would go fishing just about every weekend.
The best time to go for catfish was at night. We would eat dinner, then meet up for fishing. Sometimes, we wouldn’t get back until after midnight…even on school nights.
We had the best time exploring creeks and ponds. We’d find something different on every trip. We’d catch everything from boots to rocks, logs, turtles…sometimes even fish! On one trip we almost stepped on a cottonmouth (Copper head) sunbathing in the path. On another trip the mosquitos were so bad, we ended up making a fire to use as a repellent. It didn’t work. I came home that night with 20+ bites on my back. They got me right through my t-shirt. My back looked like a pepperoni pizza.
Our favorite place to fish was a place we called “The Double S P”. Or “The Secret Sacred Place”. This was a place where we had a 100% batting average. Getting there was hard…we had to trek across soggy mud, a foot deep in some areas. Once you get there, it was a narrow creek only 15 feet across in certain areas. Sometimes, the fish jumping made a splash so loud, we described it as someone throwing a recliner in the water. Sometimes, the splash could get you wat while sitting on the shore. The biggest fish I caught there was a 30 inch, 5.5 pound catfish. I’m sure there were bigger fish. The S.S.P. never disappointed. We always had a good story and no one ever went home without catching a fish there.
Those fishing trips in ‘94 turned me into a lifelong hobby angler. Sometimes, I wonder if that creek is still there. Without us to control the catfish population, there may be some real river monsters there now…
Chunlei Guo
Chunlei Guo is a professor in Optics and Physics at University of Rochester. He is a Fellow of American Physical Society and Optical Society of America. He also serves as the Editor-in-Chief for one of the most widely recognized handbooks in lasers and optics, CRC Handbook of Laser Technology and Applications (2nd Edition).
Often inspired by species in nature, from lotus to butterflies to spiders, his research at Rochester led to the discoveries of a range of highly functionalized materials through laser processing, including the black and colored metals, and superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces. These technologies have a broad range of applications and have been covered extensively by the media, including the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Discovery, The Economist, Popular Science, Time, ABC, and many more (read here). Over the past few years, he has been working closely with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in developing technologies for global sanitation, water conservation, renewable energy, and sustainability. He discussed his work in the TEDx below.
3 words to describe Nature?
Peaceful. Inspiring. Eternal.
3 things Nature taught you?
Humility
Kindness
Knowledge
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Okavango delta (Botswana)
Himalaya mountain range (Tibet)
Cappadocia (Turkey).
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Curious
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Energized
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Passionate
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Awakening
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Reflective
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I like them all.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
A hiking trip with a few childhood friends. We were going further and further along a woody road with no end in sight. We were nervous but all wanted to keep going...
Yancey Strickler
Yancey Strickler is a writer and entrepreneur. He is the cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter, author of This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World, and the creator of Bentoism. Yancey has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People. He cofounded the artist resource The Creative Independent and the record label eMusic Selects. Yancey grew up in Clover Hollow, Virginia, and began his career as a music critic in New York City. The London Spectator called him "one of the least obnoxious tech evangelists ever."
3 words to describe Nature?
Shhhwwwwwwww (wind through the trees)
tckltckltckltckltckl (leaves on the ground)
grglgrglgrglgrgl (water falling from a rocky cave)
3 things Nature taught you?
How to hide
What it means to be healthy
The upside of death
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Canopied forests with pine needles on the ground
Any beach
The farm where I grew up
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Infinite
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Taller
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Side-eyed
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Like a George Harrison song
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Five years old
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Small
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
E) All of the above
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Age twelve waiting for the bus when a deer, wounded by a hunter's bullet, came staggering out of the woods and collapsed across the street from me. I stayed with it and spoke with it until its eyes went blank.
Martha Weidmann
Martha Weidmann is the CEO and Co-Founder of NINE dot ARTS. She started her career with Walker Fine Art gallery in Denver, then moved on to the most prestigious art consulting firm (at the time) in the region, McGrath and Braun. She is the Executive Director of Union Hall, an emerging and established artist platform giving Denver’s vibrant arts community a dedicated position in the Union Station neighborhood, and co-founder of dotfolio, an online art selling platform. She is currently serving on the Board of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts.
3 words to describe Nature?
Omniscient. Life-giving. Generative
3 things Nature taught you?
Humility
Beautiful decay
Connectedness
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Dauphin Island, AL, USA
Blue Lagoon, Capri, IT
Pawnee Buttes, CO, USA
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Small (in a good way)
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Alive
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Like I should look for water
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Humble
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Like I should look for shelter
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like it's time to batten down the hatches
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
As a girl growing up in Georgia, I used to hide in the azalea bushes catching and releasing color-changing green anoles. Sometimes I'd collect them in my lavender purse, but they'd always find their way out and escape. I always wanted to know if they'd eventually turn lavender being surrounded by all that purple.
A girl in my class used to catch the anoles, pinch their jaws slightly and release the grip near her earlobes so that their mouths would clamp down on gently on her earlobe flesh for a temporary display of "lizard earrings". It was quite a sight, but I thought the lizards didn't like it at all.