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Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


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UW Adventurer Mark Jenkins to Present Latest Tour Discussions

rock paintings
UW adventurer Mark Jenkins will discuss 4,000-year-old paintings found in Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, as part of the “World to Wyoming Tour.” Jenkins will discuss “A Journey into the Ancient Namib Desert: Rock Paintings, a Vanished People and Water Scarcity” in six Wyoming communities in September. (Ken Driese Photo)

Mark Jenkins, a University of Wyoming engagement and outreach specialist, will discuss one of his worldwide adventures -- 4,000-year-old hidden paintings in the mountains in Namibia -- with a series of September talks in six Wyoming communities.

Jenkins will present “A Journey into the Ancient Namib Desert: Rock Paintings, a Vanished People and Water Scarcity” as part of the fall “World to Wyoming Tour” in Casper, Cheyenne, Gillette, Riverton, Rock Springs and Torrington Sept. 17-30.

The UW Office of Engagement and Outreach sponsors the “World to Wyoming Tour” program.

Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, conceals the greatest collection of rock paintings on Earth. Hidden in the shade beneath granite boulders -- where an extinct tribe once escaped the scorching heat of the Namib Desert -- 4,000-year-old paintings depict a lost world of giraffes and elephants, snakes and springbok, bowhunters and community celebrations.

On assignment for National Geographic as a writer in 2015, Jenkins climbed Brandberg in 120-degree heat to explore this alfresco art museum and reflect on the challenges of water scarcity then and now.

His six Wyoming discussions -- all at 7 p.m. -- are free and open to the public. Jenkins’ presentations are:

-- Tuesday, Sept. 17, Rock Springs, Western Wyoming Community College, Room 1302.

-- Wednesday, Sept. 18, Riverton, Central Wyoming College, Little Theater.

-- Monday, Sept. 23, Torrington, Eastern Wyoming College, Fine Arts Auditorium.

-- Tuesday, Sept. 24, Gillette College, Presentation Hall.

-- Wednesday, Sept. 25, Casper College, Wheeler Concert Hall.

-- Monday, Sept. 30, Cheyenne, Laramie County Library, Cottonwood Room.

About Mark Jenkins

A critically acclaimed author and internationally recognized journalist, Jenkins covers geopolitics and adventure. Among hundreds of his stories, Jenkins has written about land mines in Cambodia, the war in Eastern Congo, the loss of koalas in Australia, ethnic cleansing in Burma, climbing Mount Everest in Nepal and the vanishing ski culture of the Tuvan people in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia.

Jenkins has won numerous writing awards, including the Overseas Press Club Ross Award in 2013 for “The Healing Fields,” a story about landmines in Cambodia; and a National Magazine Award with colleague Brint Stirton for “Who Murdered the Mountain Gorillas” in 2009. Both projects provided the basis for statewide presentations at Wyoming’s community colleges as part of the “World to Wyoming” outreach series.

Jenkins has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in geography, both from UW.

About the Office of Engagement and Outreach

UW opened the Office of Engagement and Outreach (OEO) last January, with Jean Garrison selected as director. Goal 3 of UW’s strategic plan, “Breaking Through: 2017-2022,” focuses on impacting communities, and OEO serves as a portal to UW for Wyoming residents -- and beyond -- and coordinates and streamlines engagement and outreach efforts.

OEO creates an environment of engaged education; student opportunities; scholarship and service; faculty and staff development at UW; and builds collaboration between UW and constituents to address complex economic and social challenges and opportunities facing UW and Wyoming. In this capacity, OEO provides institutional leadership in shaping, supporting and pursuing UW’s goals for advancing community engagement and relationships with its partners.

OEO partners include UW Office of Academic Affairs, Rocky Mountain Power Foundation, the Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation, Sheridan College, Gillette College, Northwest College in Powell, Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, InterConnections 21, National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson and UW’s Center for Global Studies.

For more information, call OEO at (307) 766-5202 or email engage@uwyo.edu.

 

 

Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


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