National Geographic Chief Executive in Moscow

National Geographic Society Vice President Terrence Adamson and editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of National Geographic Chris Johns visited Moscow in late September.

The opening of the National Geographic seminar was held on the first day of the visit at the geography department of the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. More than 250 young scientists, students and instructors from the school's geography department took part.

Before the start of the seminar, National Geographic photographer Michael Nichols held the opening of his photo exhibition "Forest Giants, " which featured images of giant Sequoias, the largest trees in the world. Photographs taken by the geography department students were displayed nearby. A photo contest titled "Objectivity of Geography" for the best student photos was staged several weeks before the guests from the National Geographic editorial board visited the university. Dozens of young geographers took part in the contest, and three were declared winners and awarded prizes. The talented Darya Ordanovich, Anna Bulochnikova and Yevgeniya Selezneva received certificates and subscriptions to National Geographic Russia.

The opening of the seminar began with a talk by Terrence Adamson, who discussed the National Geographic Society, it mission and achievements. Listeners were especially interested in new opportunities that the Society provides to young researchers, as well as expeditions and research projects that are planned for the near future.

Chris Johns spoke next, addressing the urgent questions of preserving global energy supplies and taking care of the environment - citing the examples of Canada's oil sands, the rain forests of Borneo and the giant Sequoias. These are all real examples that served as the basis for National Geographic magazine stories that caused significant societal resonance.

After the lecture, a discussion ensued between the speakers and the geographic department student. The young geographers were happy for the chance to exchange opinions and receive answers to their questions from world-class experts.

After the meeting at the MSU geographic department, Terrence Adamson and Chris Johns joined Alexander Gurnov for a live interview in the Russia Today studio.