Dr. Wade Davis was named by the National Geographic Society as one of the Explorers for the Millennium, and has been described as "a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life's diversity." His lecture will explore the world's indigenous cultures to answer a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive?

Dr. Davis is Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Between 1999 and 2013 he served as Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society and is currently a member of the NGS Explorers Council. Author of 19 books, including The Serpent and the Rainbow, One River, The Wayfinders and The Sacred Headwaters, he holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University.