Shannon has been an avid outdoor-girl since childhood. In her twenties she attended over 25 classes at Tom Brown’s Tracking Nature and Wilderness Survival School. She also spent a year and a half living semi-primitively as a caretaker at the school’s camp in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. She has worked in wilderness field programs, taught survival skills & bush craft, and lived semi-primitively for extended periods of time. She successfully completed the Naked & Afraid Challenge in 2013. Her episode, Mayan Misery, was filmed in Belize and aired in the second season. She brings her relationship with nature and the land into the heart of everything she does and is excited to share at ASIW.
Read MoreElisa teaches art at Northern Arizona University, School of Art + Design. She holds a MA in Sustainable Communities and an MFA, Fine Arts, Post Modern Practice. The Woodford County Native works to integrate science and creative writing across her curriculum. As a student within the inaugural Sun Foundation Art and Science in the Woods program, she loves teaching children and connecting with her Central Illinois Roots.
Read MoreDr. Wilcoxen is a Professor of Biology at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. He is the Chair of the Board for the Sun Foundation and also President of the Board for the Illinois Raptor Center. His current research focuses on immune defense and disease in Illinois songbirds, birds of prey, and amphibians. Travis is originally from Lewistown, IL and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Eureka College and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Memphis.
Read More(Dr. Z) is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and sustainability at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University. He regularly teaches courses in Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Systems, and Renewable Energy Systems. He has performed a variety of research on polymers, two-phase flow and energy resilience for ANL, DOE and USGS.
Read More