Mothapalooza
Speakers & Leaders
photo: Luna Moth, by Danae Wolfe, Chasing Bugs
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Andrew Quitmeyer is a digital adventurer studying intersections between wild animals and computational devices. He’s a professor at the National University of Singapore researching how to blend biological fieldwork and DIY digital crafting. This “DigitalNaturalism” work has taken him through the wilds of places such as Panama, Madagascar, the Philippines, and the Galapagos, where he runs workshops with diverse groups of scientists, artists, designers, and engineers. He currently leads “Hiking Hacks” around the world, where participants build technology entirely in the wild for interacting with nature. His research also inspired a spinoff television series he hosted for Discovery Networks called “Hacking the Wild.”
He is the winner of several design awards, and his trans-disciplinary, multimedia projects have been featured in The Discovery Channel, Wired, PBS, NPR, Cartoon Network, Make Magazine, Fast Company, Gizmodo, along with other print and digital internet news and educational sources.
The Caterpillar Lab
Sam Jaffe is a New England-based naturalist, photographer, and educator who is an advocate of insects. In 2013 he founded The Caterpillar Lab a non-profit educational outreach organization in Marlborough NH. From this hub, he travels across the country working with universities, museums, botanic gardens, nature centers, and schools, sharing insect stories and nourishing public appreciation - taking the educational message on the road. He is also writing and illustrating a very in-depth book on the identification and natural history of native caterpillars. When he is not behind the camera or tending his zoo of caterpillars, Sam is outdoors, waist-deep in vegetation.