Current Field Initiatives

Dark Sky Quest: A Portal to Awe, Agency, and our Cosmic Connection
Principal Investigator | National Geographic Society Level II Grant
Dark Sky Quest explores how encounters with truly dark skies can restore a sense of wonder, spatial thinking, and planetary responsibility. Collaborating with National Geographic Explorer Dr. Brittney Beck, and educator Jacob Saffarian, the initiative will be co-designed with California State Parks bringing youth into direct contact with the night sky through astronomy, science and storytelling.

Deep Time: Fossils, Stars and Storytelling
Meridian Grant | Led by Dr. Bolortsetseg Minjin
Deep Time is a traveling science and storytelling program connecting youth across Mongolia with the deep history of their landscapes, from dinosaurs and fossils to the night sky above the Gobi. The project integrates paleontology, astronomy, and narrative practice to help young people connect to their place within planetary time.

Field & Exploration

National Geographic Field Notes
Reflections from the field on storytelling, science, and place.

Storywork52
Reflections on ethical storywork, memory, and narrative responsibility.a

Documentary & Film

Rare Equine Trust
Award-winning documentarys projects exploring horse cultures, land, and human–animal relationships.

Shakti Pictures
Collaborative social-justice filmmaking rooted in cultural accountability.

Cosmos & Imagination

@sdp.cosmosdreams
Visual storytelling at the intersection of space, imagination, and the “dream gap,” including youth-centered initiatives such as Cosmos Photo Camp, Guardians of the Cosmos and Deep Time - a National Geographic–supported project connecting young people in Central Asia and Mongolia with fossils, dark skies, and scientific ways of knowing.

Professional Practice

LinkedIn
Institutional collaborations, masterclasses, and public engagement in ethical storytelling and interdisciplinary communication.

Cinematography: Sophie Dia Pegrum