Community organizations, residents, tourism stakeholders and local businesses of the four Gulf Coast states will nominate sites for potential inclusion in an interactive geotourism website, a Geotourism MapGuide mobile application and a printed Geotourism MapGuide. The map will highlight sites and attractions that residents feel are unique to their home, such as local restaurants, wildlife and scenic trails, bed and breakfasts, historic attractions, fishing destinations, museums, artist galleries and other places that represent the region. The website will target a variety of growing travel niches, including adventure, nature, cultural heritage and agro-tourism, and will allow for local residents to select one-of-a-kind places integral to the distinctive character of the region. The website, mobile application and printed MapGuide will be available in December 2013.

Today at the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Center Bureau, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and National Geographic’s Jim Dion officially announced the initiative and asked for public participation, opening the site nomination process. Public forums and presentations will be conducted in communities throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast states’ southern crescent region to encourage nominations and community involvement. Nominations will be accepted through July 15, 2013, at www.usgulfcoaststatesgeotourism.com.

“This partnership with National Geographic is an opportunity to showcase to the world the unique places and experiences offered in the Gulf Coast states,” said Dardenne. “Participation by Gulf States residents is pivotal — we want nominations from every part of the region, from our northern boundaries to our beaches and from big cities to small town main streets. Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi share a coast, but have diverse cultures not found anywhere else on Earth.”

“The National Geographic Maps Division is pleased to have the opportunity to spotlight this region and, in doing so, support and sustain it as one of the world’s most treasured natural places,” said Jim Dion, sustainable tourism program manager, National Geographic Maps. “The MapGuide will celebrate the four U.S. Gulf Coast states’ abundant scenic, cultural and historical attributes from the unique vantage point of those who live there.”

Beyond the sites and attractions nominated by local residents, the MapGuide development process calls for oversight by a regional committee. The U.S. Gulf States Southern Crescent Stewardship Council represents an assortment of geotourism perspectives, including community leadership, historic preservation, natural resources, public lands management, indigenous peoples, traditional and local arts, agriculture, tourism and local businesses. A primary task for the Stewardship Council will be to review and sort nominations prior to sending them to National Geographic, which will complete a final review of the sites for inclusion on the MapGuide.

The U.S. Gulf Coast States Geotourism Project is being advanced with support from the official offices of tourism in each of the four states, with additional financial support being provided by BP’s Gulf Tourism and Seafood Promotion Grant Funds and a grant written by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to, and funded by, the U.S. Public Lands Highways Discretionary Program.

The National Geographic Society has worked with community-based alliances to develop similar Geotourism MapGuides and websites in other regions around the world. Geotourism MapGuide projects have been completed or are ongoing in the Central Cascades (Oregon, Washington), the Crown of the Continent (Alberta, British Columbia, Montana), Four Corners (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah), Greater Yellowstone (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming), Guatemala, Lakes to Locks Passage (New York, Quebec), Newfoundland, Portugal’s Douro Valley, Redwood Coast (California), Sierra Nevada (California, Nevada) and the Tennessee River Valley (Smoky Mountains through Knoxville and south to Chattanooga and north Georgia).

Founded in 1915 as the Map Department of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Maps is responsible for illustrating the world around us through the art and science of mapmaking. Today, National Geographic Maps continues this mission by creating the world’s best wall maps, outdoor recreation maps, travel maps, atlases and globes that inspire people to care about and explore their world. For more information, visit natgeomaps.com.

CONTACTS:

Jill Kidder or Darienne Mobley
U.S. Gulf Coast States Geotourism Project Managers
+1 (225) 803-7033
jill@tourismbuilders.com
Darienne@tourismbuilders.com

Kelsey Flora

Communications Manager

National Geographic Society

+1 (202) 828-8023

kflora@ngs.org

National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers Program recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring adventurers, scientists and innovators who are at the forefront of discovery, adventure and global problem-solving while still early in their careers. Each Emerging Explorer receives a $10,000 award to assist with research and to aid further exploration.

The 2013 Emerging Explorers are conservation biologist Steve Boyes, conservation biologist Erika Cuéllar, anthropologist Jason De León, planetary geologist Bethany Ehlmann, archaeologist Sayed Gul Kalash, computer scientist and roboticist Chad Jenkins, wildlife filmmaker and photographer Sandesh Kadur, artist Raghava KK, humanitarian Lale Labuko, innovator and entrepreneur Tan Le, conservation biologist Andrea Marshall, science educator and astrobiologist Brendan Mullan, geophysicist and glaciologist Erin Pettit, computational geneticist Pardis Sabeti, engineer and conservation technologist Shah Selbe, data artist Jer Thorp and adventurer and conservationist Gregg Treinish.

The new Emerging Explorers are introduced in the June 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine, and comprehensive profiles can be found at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/emerging.

National Geographic Emerging Explorers may be selected from virtually any field, ranging from the Society’s traditional arenas of anthropology, archaeology, photography, space exploration, earth sciences, mountaineering and cartography to the worlds of technology, art, music and filmmaking.

“As National Geographic celebrates its 125^th anniversary year and looks forward to embracing a new age of exploration, we look to our Emerging Explorers to be leaders in pushing the boundaries of discovery and innovation. They represent tomorrow’s Robert Ballards, Jacques Cousteaus and Jane Goodalls,” said Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s executive vice president for Mission Programs.

South African conservation biologist Steve Boyes is scientific director of the Wild Bird Trust. With a passion for the wilderness and parrot conservation, he works to preserve and protect Botswana’s uniquely pristine Okavango Delta, to mitigate threats bringing parrot species to the brink of extinction throughout Africa and to plant thousands of trees in his forest restoration projects. A postdoctoral fellow at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, his research is on the critically endangered Cape parrot, with a focus on better understanding the dynamics that caused an outbreak of the deadly Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease in Cape parrots in the wild. His work has also resulted in a moratorium on the importation of African Grey parrots into South Africa. His most ambitious undertaking is planting the first million trees and mounting hundreds of nest boxes for Cape parrots in the forests they depend on.

Bolivian conservation biologist Erika Cuéllar is empowering local people in Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina to be hands-on conservation stewards. She trains them to be parabiologists, with the aim of protecting the extraordinary biodiversity of one of South America’s last truly wild environments, the Gran Chaco region. Graduates of her program bring their professional skills into the forests, wetlands and grasslands. They make census reports of birds and animals, deploy and analyze data from camera traps and radio-tracking devices, create maps calculating species’ densities and monitor changes in wildlife numbers. Their first-aid training saves people’s lives, too. Cuéllar co-coordinates the Bolivian Committee for the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN. She has helped outlaw hunting of the guanaco (wild ancestor of the llama) and is experimenting with ways to recover its grassland habitat, currently overrun by free-range cattle and invasive plants.

U.S. anthropologist Jason De León, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, directs the Undocumented Migration Project, an ethnographic, archaeological and forensic study of clandestine migration between Mexico and the United States. By using multiple anthropological approaches, including documenting what migrants leave behind in the desert, he seeks to provide insight into their experiences, including how people survive and what happens to those who do not make it. Since 2009, his project has collected, catalogued and interpreted nearly 10,000 objects left by migrants making the treacherous Mexico-U.S. crossing — from survival-based items like water bottles and food wrappers to personal belongings like letters, photos, bibles and rosaries. He sees the materials as fragments of history and believes that studying and exhibiting them can highlight the complexities of the migrant experience. Part of the collection was displayed recently in the University of Michigan exhibition “State of Exception” and will eventually travel across the country.

U.S. planetary geologist Bethany Ehlmann is an assistant professor of planetary science at Caltech, a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a participating scientist on the NASA Mars Rover Curiosity mission. From a control room in Pasadena, Calif., she helps direct the rover and, by zapping Martian rocks with the ChemCam laser spectrometer aboard Curiosity, she analyzes the minerals and geochemistry of the rocks for clues about the planet’s ancient environment. “Studying the first billion years of Mars’ history helps answer questions about how Earth evolved to sustain and maintain environments good for life,” she says. In turn, exploring remote corners on Earth can help inform how to best tackle exploration on Mars. She travels to some extreme spots — from the volcanoes of Iceland to the deserts of California and Oman — to find geologic features and environmental conditions that most closely resemble the surfaces of distant planets.

Pakistani archaeologist Sayed Gul Kalash strives to preserve one of the world’s oldest and most unique cultures and languages — her own critically endangered Kalash — still surviving in the remote Kalash valley of Pakistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range. She is the first Kalash archaeologist and the only Kalash woman to be trained as a scientist. She runs a small museum in the Kalash valley and is committed to documenting and maintaining her 3,000-year-old heritage. The Kalash language has no written script and is on the verge of extinction. Gul Kalash works to preserve it by documenting local legends and lore in written form for the first time. The Kalash practice their own polytheistic/animist religion and face increasing pressure to convert to Islam and abandon their traditions. This tiny indigenous community numbers about 3,500.

U.S. computer scientist and roboticist Chad Jenkins, associate professor of computer science at Brown University, leads a research group that explores topics related to human-robot interaction and robot learning, with a specific focus on robots learning from human demonstration. Using this approach, the group has trained robots to accomplish tasks such as navigating a basic maze and cleaning a messy room. The greater the number and variety of demonstrations a robot sees, the better it masters the task. Jenkins uses crowdsourcing to expose robots to a wealth of demonstrations. Over the past few years, hundreds of people have participated in training his lab’s robots by logging on to the group’s website and controlling robots to improve at block-stacking, soccer and household chores. Jenkins, currently on sabbatical at the robotics company Willow Garage, predicts widespread use of robots will change society in the near future similar to how personal computing has over the last 30 years.

Indian wildlife filmmaker and photographer Sandesh Kadur creates award-winning documentary films and photography books to raise awareness about the world’s threatened species and habitats in order to inspire his audience to help protect them. His work spans cloud forests and endangered sea turtles in Mexico, rain forests and king cobras in India, the breeding cycle of threatened birds in Indonesia and orphaned clouded leopards being rehabilitated back to the Himalayan jungle. Often his work provides a first-ever glimpse of certain animal behaviors in the wild. He caught the 12-foot-long stars of his king cobra documentary courting, fighting, mating and nest building — action rarely ever witnessed in the wild. The locations he explores, often for months at a time, can be the only corners of the world where particular species exist. His film and book of photographs on the Western Ghats were part of the submission that helped persuade UNESCO to name the Western Ghats a World Heritage site.

Indian artist Raghava KK blends creativity and technology to develop interactive art that considers issues from multiple perspectives, challenging perceptions, opening minds, inspiring tolerance and engendering empathy. His work spans genres as disparate as painting, sculpture, film and performance. His most recent series of interactive artwork is focused on radically shifting the role of the viewer from mere spectator/buyer to that of an active participant and co-creator. Science and technology play a pivotal role in his art, allowing multiple perspectives to be revealed and manipulated by the viewer (through touch, brainwave data, facial expressions, etc.), essentially becoming a new creation each time it is experienced. His award-winning iPad picture book for children created a new genre of “shaken stories.” Each time the screen is shaken, a new perspective on the concept is revealed. In the case of “Pop-it,” the ideal “family” is shaken to reveal two dads, two moms, or mom and dad. KK is helping develop new technologies, embedded in his art, that change the role of spectator and invite them to bias the artwork through active physical participation.

Ethiopian humanitarian Lale Labuko fights to stop the ritualistic killing of infants and children in Ethiopia’s Omo River Valley and provides shelter, care and education for the children he rescues. At age 15 he heard the word “mingi” for the first time after he saw a 2-year-old torn from her mother and never seen again. Ancient belief says children who are deemed mingi will bring drought, famine and disease to the tribe if allowed to live. Ritualistic killing is seen as the only solution. Labuko was one of the first in his tribe to receive a formal education, and the perspective he gained from this fueled his resolve to save mingi children and abolish the practice. Ultimately he worked with Ethiopia’s government and raised funds from international donors to begin Omo Child, a nonprofit humanitarian organization and children’s home. Today, 37 mingi babies and children rescued by Labuko live in the home, many saved just moments before certain death. As a result of his impassioned advocacy efforts with tribal elders, Labuko’s greatest accomplishment came in July 2012 when his tribe, the Kara, officially banned mingi.

Vietnamese/Australian innovator and entrepreneur Tan Le is working to transform brain research. She creates innovations that expand and improve the way our brains are studied and understood. Her ideas may help detect brain problems earlier, enable better learning and accelerate research to unlock new treatments for neurological disorders. Le co-founded Emotiv Lifesciences, a company pioneering first-of-its kind portable electroencephalography (EEG) technology, a new brain-computer interface and a platform for sharing crucial brain data globally. Large-scale participation in collecting and sharing brain data is now possible through Le’s EEG’s headset that records brain activity. Researchers send experiments out over the Internet, and participants complete designated tasks while wearing the headset, which has sensors that pick up the brain’s electric signals; it can already detect the wearer’s thoughts, feelings and expressions.

U.S. conservation biologist Andrea Marshall leads groundbreaking research and conservation programs to save globally threatened manta rays and other vulnerable marine megafauna and their critical habitats. She became the first person to complete a Ph.D. on manta rays; the first to discover a second manta species; and the first to create a global database that can revolutionize the future of manta ray research. The Marine Megafauna Foundation she co-founded conducts world-leading research from Mozambique’s remote southern coastline, home to one of the largest identified manta populations. Her work and global lobbying have been crucial in convincing governments and conservation organizations to legislate protection and create marine reserves. In 2013, her efforts helped make history — inclusion of manta rays in CITES, an intergovernmental agreement that will help protect the species internationally.

U.S science educator and astrobiologist Brendan Mullan explores innovative ways to communicate astronomy to the public and inspire a new generation of scientists. He is a Ph.D. graduate from Penn State, where he teaches and develops curriculum for astronomy courses. In 2012, Mullan won the prestigious U.S. FameLab competition that encourages scientists to communicate their work to society as a whole in more effective and universally understandable ways. He believes scientists need to engage with the public and bring astronomy and astrobiology out of the ivory tower to make it more accessible and entertaining. His research involves studying how stars form in the interstellar wreckage of colliding galaxies. Another project sends him hunting for alien civilizations, testing an idea that advanced beings might efficiently harness the energy of distant suns for power, causing their home galaxy to appear dim in optical light but shine brightly in infrared.

U.S. geophysicist and glaciologist Erin Pettit explores glaciers to better understand and predict changing climate and rising seas. She is an assistant professor of geophysics and glaciology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Pettit employs acoustic research, using underwater listening instruments to listen to glaciers. As she translates their language, she’ll tell the rest of us what they’re saying about sea level rise and climate change, and how critical processes like ocean circulation may be transformed. Other fieldwork finds her in minus 20° weather researching how ice sheets have grown and shrunk over hundreds of thousands of years by examining ice core samples that have been drilled and removed. She is also creator of “Girls on Ice,” a wilderness science experience for high school girls, who each summer enter glacial landscapes to perform experiments exploring everything from how ice worms move to how alpine vegetation grows.

Iranian/U.S. computational geneticist Pardis Sabeti uses medical and evolutionary genetics to better understand the origins of our acquired traits as well as to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. At Harvard University she is an associate professor at the Center for Systems Biology and senior associate member of the Broad Institute. Algorithms that she invents and wields are helping crack genetic codes of how infectious diseases such as malaria adapt, spread and may one day be prevented. In 2001, she developed a breakthrough algorithm that allows geneticists to scan for genes that reveal natural selection at work. Tracing the genetics behind natural selection is crucial to unraveling when and how certain mutations increase humanity’s odds of survival.

U.S. engineer and conservation technologist Shah Selbe identifies innovative technologies that can be used to protect the world’s seas from illegal fishing through better monitoring, tracking, collaboration and surveillance. He created FishNET, a project focused on harnessing technology to detect and track illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing worldwide. These various inexpensive technologies tackle the problem on three levels: collecting, sharing and managing information. Selbe is a satellite propulsion systems engineer at Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems and the Southern California region representative of Engineers Without Borders. Through Engineers Without Borders, he has built homes in Mexico, solar energy projects in Mali, water distribution systems in Malawi and a rainwater catchment system in Tanzania.

Canadian data artist Jer Thorp translates complex data sets into novel representations that make information more digestible, understandable and meaningful. He translates unimaginable blurs of information — such as what 3 million lightning strikes look like, or the connections and relationships between the 2,982 people killed on 9/11— into something we can see, understand and feel. His data visualizations blend research, art, software, science and design to create a human perspective. His award-winning, software-based work has been exhibited on four continents. He co-founded the Office for Creative Research as a resource for cultural institutions, scientists and organizations facing data challenges as they tackle big problems to effect positive change. Thorp teaches data representation at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

U.S. adventurer and conservationist Gregg Treinish founded Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation (ASC), a nonprofit organization connecting outdoor adventurers with research scientists in need of data from the field. Adventure athletes contact the organization and volunteer to collect data on their travels. ASC matches them with researchers who need help getting expensive, time-consuming, hard-to-reach information that will be used to make more informed conservation-minded management decisions. More than 100 scientific organizations and 1,000 adventurers have already participated. Treinish also organizes his own expeditions, contributing to research on wildlife-human interaction, fragmented habitats and threatened species. He recently completed a trip to Mongolia to survey the wildlife of that region, gathering data on wolverines and 20 other species. Treinish was a 2008 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.

National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers are part of the Society’s Explorer Programs, which include Explorers-in-Residence and National Geographic Fellows.

About National Geographic

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Founded in 1888, the Society is member supported and offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

NOTE: For fuller bios of the 2013 Emerging Explorers, go to http://www.nationalgeographic.com/emerging.

For images of the Emerging Explorers, contact Carol King Woodward at ckingwoo@ngs.org or visit the ftp site http://press.nationalgeographic.com/downloads/ee_2013 (username: press / password: press).

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In NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANGRY BIRDS FURIOUS FORCES!: The Physics at Play in the World’s Most Popular Game (National Geographic Books; ISBN 978-1-4262-1172-0; on-sale date: June 4, 2013; $13.95 paperback), physics professor and Wired.com blogger Rhett Allain uses everyone’s favorite game characters and a dose of humor to illuminate the basic ideas behind physical science.

The book is divided into five chapters, each exploring the interesting and increasingly challenging concepts of physical science — mechanics, sound and light, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, particle physics and beyond. From the simplest ideas of force and motion to the complex notions of relativity and dark matter, Allain adeptly explains physics in a way that all readers can understand. The book serves as an entertaining and instructional tool for anyone interested in physics — and it may provide insight into how a better understanding of physics can help conquer that next level of Angry Birds, too.

Each chapter includes “Physics at Play” sections, which include experiments that readers can easily do at home to gain hands-on experience with physics concepts: launch Angry Birds at varying angles to explore gravity and projectile motion, scrape a steel nail along one end of a magnet to create a compass or use a balloon to simulate our expanding universe. Scattered throughout, “Physi-Facts” offer nuggets of physics knowledge: for example, the pound is often used as a unit of mass, but it is actually a unit of force, and the speed of sound changes with air temperature and humidity levels.

Allain profiles some of the favorite characters from the Angry Birds games, explaining the physical prowess of each and illuminating the physics behind their favorite tactics, like King Pig’s reliance on inertia and Mighty Eagle’s combustion-like outbursts. As readers progress through the clever explanations and colorful illustrations, they will gain a fresh perspective on the physics at play all around them. Like the game, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANGRY BIRDS FURIOUS FORCES! will entertain kids and adults alike.

This is the third book in the ongoing collaboration between National Geographic, one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations, and Rovio Entertainment, an industry-changing entertainment media company with a broader mission to make learning fun. The first two books, “National Geographic Angry Birds Space” and “National Geographic Angry Birds,” were published in 2012. A fourth book in the series is due out in September 2013.

About the Author

Rhett Allain spent most of his younger years in Illinois. In his youth, he enjoyed building things and taking things apart — although he couldn’t always put them back together. He studied physics at the University of Alabama and North Carolina State University. Currently he is a blogger at Wired Science Blogs and an associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. He lives with his wife and children in  Hammond, La., where he likes to ride his bike to work.

About National Geographic Books

National Geographic Books is a global publisher of 125 new books annually in Adult and Children’s combined, as well as a publisher of digital content and services with more than 50 partners who translate our books. The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; books; music; radio; films; DVDs; maps; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; merchandise; and travel programs. For more information on National Geographic Books, visit facebook.com/NatGeoBooks and nationalgeographic.com/books.

About Rovio Entertainment Ltd.

Rovio is an industry-changing entertainment media company headquartered in Finland and is the creator of the globally successful Angry Birds™ franchise. Angry Birds, a casual puzzle game, became an international phenomenon within a few months of its release and is now the number one paid app of all time. Angry Birds has expanded rapidly in entertainment, publishing and licensing to become a beloved international brand. www.rovio.com

Full size PDF version of release available here.

What makes an explorer face danger and yet press on, when others would turn back? To answer the question, National Geographic magazine interviews such notable risk takers as James Cameron, who in 2012 made the first-ever solo dive to the Mariana Trench, Earth’s deepest point, and is featured on the cover of the June issue; Buzz Aldrin, astronaut, moon walker and author of the new National Geographic book “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration”; Felix Baumgartner, first skydiver to break the sound barrier; and Conrad Anker, adventure mountaineer.

“I have loved exploration since I was a kid. To me, the world had infinite possibility, and we were figuring it out. Exploration involves risks, and I will take risks, but only for something important,” said Cameron, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. “Exploration combined with scientific purpose is key. We need to make science interesting; we have to make it fun. Kids in grade school and high school have to look at scientists and say, ‘Wow, I could be doing what that person is doing.’ We must keep that passion for exploration alive.”

The magazine’s feature on risk takers is part of its “New Age of Exploration” series, marking the National Geographic Society’s 125^th anniversary this year.

“Risk taking is part of the DNA of the National Geographic Society,” said Chris Johns, National Geographic magazine editor in chief. “We’ve been pushing the boundaries of discovery for 125 years, exploring the world and sharing incredible stories — hopefully inspiring our readers to expand their view and understanding of the world. The stories also remind us that risk takes many forms, from the quiet courage of a war zone doctor to the physical and mental stamina of a high-altitude jumper.”

The June issue of the magazine will be on digital newsstands (iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Nook) Wednesday, May 15, and will feature video interviews with seven risk takers. The print edition will be on newsstands Tuesday, May 28. Profiles, interviews and videos with risk-taking explorers and photojournalists will be featured on National Geographic’s 125^th anniversary hub at www.nationalgeographic.com/125/risk-takers/ from May 15.

On Tuesday, May 14, National Geographic and LIVE from the NYPL will host “Risk Takers: National Geographic and the New Age of Exploration” at The New York Public Library. Marine ecologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala and herpetologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Zoltan Takacs will present their work, and Ann Curry will moderate a discussion with photographers James Nachtwey and Lynsey Addario.

In addition, National Geographic will host a Google+ Hangout at 2 p.m. (ET) on Monday, May 20, with Aldrin and Anker tackling the subject of risk. Questions can be posted on Google+, Twitter and YouTube using the hashtag #LetsExplore. To watch, visit plus.google.com/+NatGeo/ or youtube.com/natgeo the day of the event.

Rolex and RBC are partnering with National Geographic on the Society’s 125^th anniversary initiative.

**For interviews with James Cameron, Buzz Aldrin, Felix Baumgartner, Conrad Anker, Lynsey Addario, James Nachtwey and Zoltan Takacs, contact Heather Wyatt at NGTraveler@HwyattPR.com or (917) 952-8679.

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Applying the same state-of-the-art 3D CGI technology used in “Avatar,” “Flying Monsters” also employs pioneering scientific techniques that reveal new details about pterosaurs. The groundbreaking film has earned a number of accolades, including a 2011 BAFTA Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts; Best 3D Program at the 2011 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival; and Best Science Film from the Association of International Broadcasting.

“We are thrilled about the box office performance of ‘Flying Monsters,’” said Mark Katz, president of NGCV Distribution. “We knew it was the perfect film for museum theater audiences, and its popularity and the fact it is still going strong two years after release have proven that.”

“We’re delighted that the quality of ‘Flying Monsters’ has been recognized by theatres and audiences around the world, and we look forward to being able to reach families through the film for many years to come,” said Anthony Geffen, CEO & creative director of Atlantic Productions.

“Flying Monsters 3D” is currently playing in the following theaters around the world:

• Connecticut Science Center (Hartford)
• National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.)
• Kansas Cosmosphere (Hutchinson)
• Museum of Science (Boston)
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History (Albuquerque)
• Houston Museum of Natural Science (Houston)
• Science North (Ontario, Canada)
• Melbourne Museum (Melbourne, Australia)
• Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (Shanghai, China)
• IMAX Keong Emas (Jakarta, Indonesia)
• Museo Modelo de Ciencias e Industria (Toluca, Mexico)
• Cosmonova/Swedish Museum of Natural History (Stockholm, Sweden)
• Taipei Astronomical Museum (Taipei, Taiwan)

For more information on “Flying Monsters 3D,” updates on where the film is opening and links to preview the film, visit movies.nationalgeographic.com/movies/flying-monsters. To become a fan on Facebook, join facebook.com/natgeomovies. Follow NGCV on Twitter at @natgeomovies.

About National Geographic Cinema Ventures

National Geographic Cinema Ventures is responsible for production and distribution of giant screen, 3-D and specialty films. Over the last decade, NGCV has produced or released a number of successful films, including Oscar-nominated documentaries “Restrepo” and “The Story of the Weeping Camel”; giant-screen award-winning films “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure,” “U2 3D,” “Mysteries of Egypt” and “Forces of Nature”; and feature-length films “The Last Lions” and “Life in a Day.” Lisa Truitt is president of NGCV, and Mark Katz is president of NGCV distribution. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/movies.

About Atlantic Productions

Atlantic Productions is one of the world’s leading factual production companies whose films have been seen around the world. Atlantic’s award-winning and acclaimed films and series include “The Promised Land” (BBC/Discovery), “The Greeks: Crucible of Civilisation” (BBC/PBS), “Munich: Mossad’s Revenge” (Channel 4/Discovery/La7/FremantleMedia), “Predator X” (History/ZDF/NRK/ BBC Worldwide), “Egypt Unwrapped” (National Geographic Channel/Five/FremantleMedia) and “The Link” (History/BBC/ZDF/NRK). Since it was founded in 1992, Atlantic has sought fresh ways to tell often complex stories, embracing new techniques and technologies and building pioneering cross-platform projects. Atlantic’s theatrical feature documentary “The Wildest Dream,” produced with Altitude Films, was released in 2010 by National Geographic Entertainment and Serengeti Entertainment into theaters and giant-screen theaters around the world. For more information, visit www.atlanticproductions.co.uk.

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The National Geographic Bee champion will win the top prize of a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers will be awarded college scholarships of $15,000 and $10,000. Additionally, the national winner will travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos to experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscape of the islands on an expedition aboard the Lindblad ship National Geographic Endeavour. Travel for the Galápagos voyage is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.

The 54 finalists, winners of their state-level geographic bees, have beaten millions of students to earn a place in the national contest. They represent the 50 states, District of Columbia, Atlantic Territories, Pacific Territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools.

The preliminary round of the 2013 National Geographic Bee will take place on Monday, May 20. The top 10 finalists will each win $500 and advance to the final round on Wednesday, May 22, moderated for the 25^th year by “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek. This will be Trebek’s last year as Bee moderator.

To mark the Bee’s 25^th anniversary, Wednesday’s final round will be held at The National Theatre in Washington, D.C., and for the first and only time, tickets to the finals are on sale to the public at http://nglive.org/geobee.

National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD will air the final round at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 23. It will be aired later on public television stations; check local television listings for dates and times.

Ten of the students taking part in this year’s National Geographic Bee are repeat state winners; three of them are competing for the third time. Christian Boekhout of Arkansas, Michael Borecki of Connecticut and Krish Patel of South Carolina represented their states at the 2011 and 2012 Bees. Two-time returnees who participated in the 2012 national contest are Pranit Nanda of Colorado, Conrad Oberhaus of Illinois, Andrew Christy of West Virginia and Neelam Sandhu of New Hampshire. Sandhu was a top-10 finalist last year. Returning for the second time since 2011 are Tuvya Bergson-Michelson of California, a top-10 finalist; Andrew Anderton of Hawaii; and Harish Palani of Oregon.

Both this year’s and last year’s top 10 national finalists are eligible for selection to the three-person team that will represent the United States at the National Geographic World Championship, to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, from July 28 to 31. Nineteen national teams will participate.

Three of this year’s state winners are following in their sibling’s footsteps. Wisconsin’s Asha Jain’s brother, Vansh, was a three-time state winner, taking second place at last year’s National Geographic Bee and finishing in the top 10 in 2010. Massachusetts’ Sathwik Karnik’s brother, Karthik, was a two-time state winner, finishing in the top 10 in both 2011 and 2012. Also a two-time state winner, in 2007 and 2008, was Milan Sandhu, brother of New Hampshire’s Neelam Sandhu. He finished in the top 10 in 2008.

A survey of this year’s state and territory Bee winners shows that they have numerous talents in addition to their prodigious geography knowledge. Many have won math, science and spelling contests; a number play musical instruments; and most enjoy a variety of sports and other outdoor activities. Grandparents and teachers top the list of people (apart from their parents) whom the students admire.

John Fahey, National Geographic Society chairman and CEO, said, “2013 is a special year for us as we celebrate two important anniversaries: the Society’s 125^th and the National Geographic Bee’s 25^th. As we look to the future — and an exciting new age of exploration — our work of fostering young talent who will be the scientists, explorers and brightest minds of tomorrow is more important than ever. Through the National Geographic Bee and our other activities, we hope to encourage a lifelong passion for learning about the world and its many wonders, challenges and opportunities for exploration and discovery.”

Google is sponsoring the Bee for the fifth year. “Because maps are such an integral part of how we live and do business, it’s important that we invest in geographic literacy and education,” said Brian McClendon, vice president of engineering, Google Earth and Maps. “The students who participate in the National Geographic Bee have demonstrated an impressive understanding of the world around them, and we’re thrilled that young minds across the globe are using Google Geo products to learn and collaborate. In this 25^th year of the competition, we’re proud to sponsor the program and encourage the next generation of explorers and innovators.”

The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States.

The National Geographic GeoBee Challenge app, with more than 1,000 questions culled from past Bees, is available from the App Store on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, and on Google Play.

The 2012 National Geographic Bee champion was Rahul Nagvekar of Sugar Land, near Houston, a then-14-year-old eighth-grader at Quail Valley Middle School in Missouri City, Texas. The winning question was: “Name the Bavarian city located on the Danube River that was a legislative seat of the Holy Roman Empire from 1663 to 1806?” Answer: Regensburg.

About National Geographic

           The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and also funds programs that promote geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

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Note to Editors: Press resources and profiles of the 54 state winners can be found at the press room site http://bit.ly/GeoBee2013 (username & password: press). Videos of many of the finalists will be posted at http://www.youtube.com/nationalgeographic from May 13.

The press room site will be updated at noon on Wednesday, May 22, with the names and pictures of the 2013 National Geographic Bee champion and the two runners-up as well as the winning question.

Cronkite’s wartime adventures took him from the landing grounds of North Africa and bombing raids over occupied Europe to crash landing a glider in Holland behind enemy lines with the 101^st Airborne, surviving the bombing of Eindhoven by the Luftwaffe and filing dispatches on the Battle of the Bulge. These and many other stories chronicled in CRONKITE’S WAR provide revealing insights into the man who was the defining voice of “the greatest generation” and who became America’s foremost television anchorman.

“World War ll made my grandfather the man he was,” writes Walter Cronkite lV in his introduction. “He was already smart, competitive, and driven, but the war made him tough, worldly, and thoughtful. He was catapulted from a promising but obscure wire service reporter in the Midwest to an internationally famous war correspondent. The war provided the foundation for the rest of his illustrious career. It vaulted him into the top ranks of U.S. reporters.”

The book provides a more complete picture of the man who significantly shaped the popular memory of World War ll for those who lived through it. It casts light on the professional as well as personal life of the journalistic legend who, in a 1972 poll, was voted “the most trusted man in America.”

More than a hundred of Cronkite’s letters to his wife survive and are archived in the Walter Cronkite Papers at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.

Walter Cronkite lV, who offers fascinating observations and experiences about growing up as the Cronkites’ grandson, says that the ties that bound his grandparents in their 60 happy years together after World War ll were forged during their lonely years of separation. “The letters to Betsy collected in this book show the importance of this loving and enduring marriage.”

In his foreword, Brokaw writes, “In this remarkable collection of personal letters, the reader is transported back to the pivotal year of 1943, when the push against Hitler’s war machine was beginning to have its effect. In the straight-ahead, honest prose he later became famous for as an anchorman, Walter mixed the momentous, the personal, and the ordinary in his dispatches to Betsy.” Calling theirs a “quintessential American love story,” Brokaw adds that Walter and Betsy were a matched pair with a “zest for life…who loved each other deeply.”

Equal parts love story and history lesson, CRONKITE’S WAR is an intimate glimpse into the man who became one of the most important voices in our nation’s history.

About the Authors

Walter Cronkite lV, Walter Cronkite’s grandson, is an associate editor with CBS News.

Maurice Isserman is the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of History at Hamilton College. He is the author of the prize-winning book “Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes,” co-authored with Stewart Weaver.

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This spring, the National Geographic Society will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition and detail the 2012 Legacy Climb in a new book, THE CALL OF EVEREST: The History, Science, and Future of the World’s Tallest Peak (National Geographic Books; ISBN 978-1-4262-1016-7; on-sale date: May 14, 2013; $35 hardcover). A June 2013 National Geographic magazine article will focus on problems that have developed on the mountain and how to address them.

THE CALL OF EVEREST takes a comprehensive look at the significance of Mount Everest through scientific analysis of its geology and climate, through captivating anecdotes from climbers and from insight into the people and the history of the area.

Divided into eight chapters, leading experts in their field examine the mountain from various viewpoints:

• “The Meaning of Everest,” by Conrad Anker — undertaking the ultimate test of human performance, and what the mountain means to climbers all over the world;
• “The Birth of Everest,” by David Lageson, professor of structural geology at Montana State University — the geological and geophysical aspects of the mountain and how they formed over time;
• “The People of Everest,” by award-winning author Broughton Coburn — the history of the Sherpas and their place in the world today;
• “The Nature of Everest,” by conservationist and mountain geographer Alton C. Byers — the flora and fauna that exist in the thin air of Nepal, and the landscapes in the area;
• “The Climbers of Everest,” by author and winner of the 2007 BANFF Summit of Excellence Award Bernadette McDonald — a look back at the influential climbers and expeditions to summit the mountain;
• “The Agonies of Everest,” by Mayo Clinic respiratory expert Bruce Johnson, Ph.D. — the failed and fatal attempts to summit the peak as well as how the body reacts to the atmosphere, including medical analysis from the Mayo Clinic;
• “One Season on Everest,” by writer and 2012 Legacy Climb team member Mark Jenkins, who also wrote the June 2013 National Geographic magazine article — his personal story of his time spent on Mount Everest during the Legacy Expedition;
• “The Future of Everest,” by mountaineer and filmmaker David Breashears, the first American to reach the summit of Everest twice — how the legend of the tallest mountain in the world grows with each new generation of adventurers.

THE CALL OF EVEREST includes 180 photographs and 20 maps, showcasing the majesty of the area. Short essays and personal stories are included in the “Voices” section of each chapter, featuring Everest experts such as Jane Summers, Wade Davis, Hilaree O’Neill and Edwin Bernbaum. The book also highlights the advancements in equipment over the last century, looking at the tents, backpacks, water containers and more used both then and now.

The book’s foreword is written by Thomas Hornbein, a member of the 1963 American expedition. He looks back on his pioneering ascent and compares the conditions on Everest then to what they are today.

Mark Jenkins’ June National Geographic magazine article, titled “Maxed Out on Everest: How to Restore Sanity to the Top of the World,” looks at ways that conditions on the mountain can be improved. He focuses on the largely man-made dangers: overcrowding on the mountain, inexperienced climbers, pollution and the altering of seasonal climbing windows. Jenkins tells the story of the elite climbing team led by Anker, of which he was a member last year, including how it was stuck at choke-points on the mountain in a “conga-line” of hundreds of other climbers.

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“2012 was our inaugural year, and the caliber of nominations far outweighed our expectations,” said George Stone, contributing editor of National Geographic Traveler. “The bar has been set, but we are confident that 2013 will provide us with a slew of inspiring sojourners who remind us we have the power to reach beyond the bubble of our daily lives, learn from locals in far-flung places and make a difference.”

To nominate a Traveler of the Year, a description of the traveler(s), what makes the nominee(s) special and information on how he/she travels must be provided. The final honorees will be announced on Oct. 1, and voting for the Reader’s Choice Traveler of the Year will begin at that time. This will be the first year a Reader’s Choice Traveler of the Year will be selected.

The 2012 honorees included a high school librarian and a Maasai warrior who teamed up to bring the Serengeti to schoolchildren in Denver; a modern nomad who is documenting the oral histories of everyday Americans; a grad student who has established the Bread Houses Network in 12 countries, where people from all cultures and walks of life can bake bread together, share stories and form friendships; and a teenage online travel host who scripts and stars in a video series that reveals the world through the eyes and experiences of young people.

To learn more about the Travelers of the Year initiative or to see photos and interviews of the 2012 honorees, go to http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/travelers-of-the-year/.

About National Geographic Traveler Magazine

National Geographic Traveler: Nobody Knows This World Better. National Geographic Traveler is the world’s most widely read travel magazine. Published eight times a year, Traveler is available by subscription, on newsstands in the United States and Canada and digitally for tablets like the iPad (on Zinio) and Nook (at BN.com). Its website (www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler) offers inspiring and authoritative digital content including trip ideas, photo galleries and blogs. It also houses travel apps, including 50 Places of a Lifetime that showcases the world’s greatest destinations handpicked by National Geographic’s family of globe-trotting contributors, and the award-winning National Parks app, filled with stunning pictures, maps and tips to explore America’s national parks.

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