Our annual Chapter lunch is a warm and inclusive event, open to all chapter members, their families, and their friends. We hope to see you there!
Please click here to register.
Location: Hotel Sorrento in Seattle, Washington
Address: 900 Madison St. Seattle, WA 98104
Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Time: 12:00 - 3:00 PM PST
Cost: Members $50, non-members $60. An email from our chapter will go out regarding how to confirm and pay for this event.
Speaker, Kim Frank: Where the Forest Roars: Asian Elephants from Conflict to Coexistence along the Eastern Himalaya, India
While issues involving African elephants are widely known, stories of interactions between wild Asian elephants and humans receive far less attention. There is an intense conflict between humans and elephants throughout India. Still, the conflict is particularly acute in the remote foothills of the Himalayas, at the intersection of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. Each year, a disproportionate number of humans and elephants are killed in northern West Bengal, a biodiverse and politically charged hot spot just three-quarters the size of Long Island, within sight of Kanchenjunga. Explorers Club Fellow Kim Frank has spent six years living and working with stakeholders to raise awareness and find solutions to this intense conflict. Her work has resulted in four international publications, a book, and now a new documentary in post-production entitled Where the Forest Roars.
Speaker, Peter Dekluyver: Design and Test of Low-cost Vacuum-Rated EVA Pressure Suits
My exploration involves making low-cost cost, fully functional pressure suits. The suits are an amalgamation and smorgasbord of various facets of engineering and design - material science, adhesive sciences, electrical engineering, and quite a large dose of mech eng. I got into suit design via a fellow club member, Dr. Cam Smith, who runs the PAC Space Flight in Portland, Oregon. In late 2019, I helped his team make a CO2 Scrubber. Standing on the shoulders of giants is my motto. Much of what I do and know is from his hard work over the last decade. In 2022, I started making my own suits and life support systems. Three suits and two backpacks later, I've made considerable improvements to how suits are made and much more flexible joints. Using my approach, I've managed the cost per suit to under $4,000 per unit and am continuing to innovate.