Remember Charlie Engelman (B.S. EEB/Museum Studies 2015)? He’s the recent undergraduate alumnus who beat out over 700 entries in a 2014 National Geographic Expedition Granted competition for the $50,000 prize.

The results of his travels and filmmaking across the United States will begin airing on NatGeo WILD Saturday morning, March 5, sometime between 7 – 9 a.m. EST, to be announced, prime time for the young audience Engelman hopes to reach. The series comprises 10 minute long interstitial programming that will air in-between other programs.   

“Wake up early, make a wicked breakfast and watch “Nature Boom Time!” because it’s going to be the greatest show you’ve seen in your entire life,” Engelman said, with his own unique brand of wit and enthusiasm. "I'm a little biased. But – it's amazing." 

He and his team traveled for 75 days, to “the most amazing forests across the U.S.,” camping in Washington state, climbing to the top of giant sequoias in California, where they even spent a night in hammocks, diving into kelp forests off Monterey, Calif., explored the petrified forests of Arizona, canoed the Everglades alongside crocodiles, stayed in a fire tower on top of a Montana mountain, and much more. Be careful, you are likely to catch Engelman’s infectious enthusiasm if you watch these programs. Consider yourself warned. And, don’t forget the wicked breakfast.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, Engelman was co-advised by Professors Robyn Burnham and Laura Olsen. 

Read more in previous EEB web news

Read more in EEB’s newsletter, Natural Selections, fall 2015

Follow Engelman for updates on Twitter @WorldByCharlie