Bring Exploration to Your Classroom
Explorer Classroom connects classrooms around the world with National Geographic Explorers, bringing science, exploration, and conservation to life through live video events. Students have the opportunity to ask the explorer their questions directly. Each month Explorer Classroom features a new theme and provides supporting resources for educators. Throughout the school year, classes can also join explorers live on expedition through our In the Field series.

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Kate Vannelli | Big Cat Conservationist
December 9th | 1:00PM ET
Conservationist Kate Vannelli has worked with African leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs and more! She now combines her passion for animals with her love of art and photography, as she works to raise awareness and inspire people to protect big cats everywhere.
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Andrew Stein | Conservation Biologist
December 11th | 1:00PM ET
Andrew Stein has 15 years of experience working on human-carnivore conflict throughout East and southern Africa. His current research initiatives include Pride in Our Prides, a human-lion conflict study in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, that engages the community in lion monitoring by informing communities about the habits of individual lions and providing real-time text alerts.
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Alex Braczkowski | Big Cat Biologist
December 13th | 10:00AM ET
Alex Braczkowski is a big cat biologist and cameraman who works with African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. He is currently researching the population of large carnivores in Uganda and working on a new documentary about the famous tree-lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
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Mark Elbroch | Ecologist
December 17th | 1:00PM ET
Dr. Mark Elbroch is a scientist, tracker, writer, and storyteller. Mark’s work on mountain lions is helping change what we thought we knew about the species. He serves as the Lead Scientist for the Puma Program at Panthera, a global nonprofit focused on wild cat conservation.
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Isai Madriz | Entomologist
December 9th | 2:00PM ET
R. Isaí Madriz is an entomologist in search of some of the rarest insects on the planet. He captures never-before-seen footage of remote glacial outlets and hidden valleys of wild Patagonia and documents the largely unknown aquatic insects of Chile's Aysén region.
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Terry Virts | Astronaut
December 16th | 2:00PM ET
Terry Virts served as commander of the International Space Station. He piloted the Space Shuttle Endeavour, performed three spacewalks, and ran science experiments. While in space he took hundreds of thousands of photos to help share his unique perspective.
Getting Started
Participating in Explorer Classroom is as easy as 1, 2, 3
Register
Use the “Register Here” link to sign up for a session!
The first six classrooms to register will be awarded on-camera spots.
Get Your Classroom Ready
Use the monthly educator guide to brainstorm questions for the explorer.
An unlimited number of classrooms can watch live on YouTube. We’ll let you know if your classroom was selected for an on-screen spot.
Watch & Ask Questions
Tune in at the scheduled time and date for your session.
We’ll see you there!
Latest from Social
Tweet at us! @NatGeoEducation #ExplorerClassroom
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Ocean Plastic Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support September’s Ocean Plastic theme and connect your students to National Geographic’s Planet or Plastic? campaign.
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In the Field Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support Explorer Classroom in the Field sessions.
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Women in Science & Exploration Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support February’s theme of Women in Science & Exploration.
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Forests Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support the March theme of Forests!
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Big & Small Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support January’s theme of Big & Small.
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Big Cats Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support December’s theme of Big Cats.
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Space Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support November’s Space theme.
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Reefs Educator Guide
Use these resources in your classroom to support October’s theme of Reefs.
ARCHIVE
Check out some highlights below or explore our full archive on YouTube.
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Shivani Bhalla | Conservation Biologist
Shivani Bhalla is working to safeguard the future of Kenya's rapidly declining lion populations. There are now fewer than 2,000 lions in Kenya, and they could vanish within twenty years. Shivani founded the conservation organization Ewaso Lions to promote coexistence between people and lions.
Supported by Canon
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Jenna Jambeck | Environmental Engineer
Sept 11th | 11:00AM ET
Jenna Jambeck specializes in global waste management issues and plastic contamination. Her work on plastic waste inputs into the ocean published in Science magazine has been translated into policy discussions throughout the world.
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Asha de Vos | Marine Biologist
Join Asha de Vos to learn about the "unorthodox blue whales" of the northern Indian Ocean.
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Lillygol Sedaghat | Environmental Journalist
Explorer Lillygol Sedaghat is documenting Taiwan’s waste management system and innovations in plastics and electronics recycling. She hopes to inspire conscious consumerism and spark a global discussion on trash with #MyWasteMyWay.
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Imogen Napper | Marine Biologist
Explorer Imogen Napper is passionate about being part of the solution to ocean plastics. Her work recently helped influence the ban of microbeads in cosmetics internationally. The “Sea to Source: Ganges” expedition is the first of several international river expeditions planned as part of National Geographic’s Planet or Plastic? initiative, which aims to significantly reduce the amount of single-use plastic that reaches the ocean.
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Bertie Gregory | In the Field: Arctic Canada
Wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory has channeled his childhood obsession with wild animals into a career. Join him in the field in Arctic Canada where he’s filming for his latest project.
Supported by Canon
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Katlin Bowman | Oceanographer
Explorer Katlin Bowman has spent nearly a year of her life at sea, spanning 12 expeditions. She studies the rising mercury in marine environments, due to human activities like fossil fuel combustion and gold mining. Currently, Katlin is studying how microplastic pollution in San Francisco Bay impacts mercury cycling.
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Marina Elliott | Anthropologist & Archeologist
Marina Elliott is a biological Anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer. She is currently working in the Rising Star Cave system.
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Sylvia Earle | Oceanographer
Known as “Her Deepness” for her record-breaking accomplishments beneath the ocean’s surface, Dr. Sylvia Earle has been named a “living legend” by the Library of Congress and the first “Hero for the Planet” by Time.