Gabby Salazar in Marojejy National Park, Madagascar.
A newly released National Geographic Kids book about women explorers and scientists has been co-authored by a woman with connections to Yadkin County. National Geographic Explorers, Clare Fieseler and Gabby Salazar, have written “No Boundaries: 25 Women Explorers and Scientists Share Adventures, Inspiration, and Advice.” Salazar grew up in Pleasant Garden, but said she spent a lot of time with her grandparents, Dr. William L. Wood Sr. and Pauline Hudspeth Wood, in Yadkinville.
Salazar’s mother, Amy, grew up in Yadkin County and the book is dedicated to her. Salazar’s time in the area and spent with her grandparents, who were explorers in their own right, inspired her career path, she said.
“A lot of my childhood was spent exploring the forests and creeks in Yadkin County,” Salazar said.
Hearing stories of her Grandparents’ travels to countries such as Egypt and Yemen partly inspired her interest in travel and exploration as well, she added.
A press release about the book said it, “celebrates changemakers and outstanding women of diverse backgrounds, nationalities, and fields of study – many of whom are just beginning their game-changing work– by shining a light on the unique journeys and struggles that led to their incredible modern-day achievements. This book illuminates how women are making history today.”
“Each chapter will delve into the astonishing adventures, epic failures, and greatest successes of the amazing careers of each featured explorer, including but not limited to Dominique Gonçalves (ecologist), Stephanie Grocke (volcanologist), Nora Shawki (archaeologist), and Munazza Alam (astronomer).”
The book, geared to kids, includes “invaluable wisdom, motivating advice, and lessons learned directly from the amazing women who are making an immense difference in the world.”
“My co-author and I wrote this book because it’s a book that we wish we’d had while growing up,” Salazar said. “I was always a curious kid, but I was not exposed to a broad range of career possibilities until I was in college. This book features women from all different disciplines, from archaeology to paleontology to conservation biology. It also features environmentalists and activists because we want kids to know that they have the power to make a difference in their communities and in the broader world.”
Salazar is a nature and conservation photographer, and a social scientist. As Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, she has worked on environmental photography projects across the globe, spending months at a time living in tropical rainforests and on tropical islands. Salazar has an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London and is currently a doctoral student at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Science, where she studies environmental marketing.
“I think it is really important to expose young people, and especially young women, to relatable female role models in the sciences,’ Salazar said. “When I was a kid, we mostly learned about scientists from history, and most of them were men. This book features women who are on the front lines of science and exploration today.”
“I have had the chance to work on a lot of wonderful projects in my career, but I’m proudest of this one,” she added. “If it inspires even a handful of kids to dream bigger and contribute to the study of our incredible planet, it’ll have been worth it!
The book is available on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble and most other book retailers.