Getting to Know Explorer Nathan Wolfe
By: Kylee Reed | April 2012
With a new year comes the hope of new experiences, acquaintances, and the prospect of boundless opportunity. 2012 has not been a disappointment. I began this year joining the Roy Chapman Andrews Society (RCAS) as their intern, a position that I am most humbled to have acquired as the spirited adventurer, Andrews, happened to be a childhood hero of mine. As such, I am gifted with the chance to meet some of the world’s most inquisitive and respected minds. This year, the RCAS recognized Dr. Nathan Wolfe as their Distinguished Explorer awardee for 2012.
Dr. Wolfe is recognized globally as one of the foremost authorities on microbes and novel viruses. He has performed both active fieldwork and has employed meticulous lab research techniques to target and prevent the next pandemics that our world faces.
Venturing outside of the laboratory and traveling to such areas as Southeast Asia (Malaysia) and sub-Saharan Africa (Uganda, Cameroon), Wolfe has garnered the reputation of being the “Indiana Jones of virus hunters.”
However, in the time that I was fortunate enough to have spent with him, he would like to argue otherwise. In meeting Dr. Wolfe, you would never begin to assume all that he has accomplished in the realms of academia and science. He is incredibly approachable, a characteristic that I did not expect someone of his importance to exhibit. His accolades and accomplishments include (but are not limited to): being named one of Popular Science’s ‘Brilliant 10’, one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Top 100 Agents of Change’, a recipient of both the National Institutes of Health’s International Research Scientist Development Award and NIH Director’s Pioneer Award in 2005, being named one of National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers, and heading the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative (GVFI) as both Director and Founder. For a 22-year-old intern accustomed to interviewing musicians and athletes, to encounter someone so cerebral yet so genial was a breath of fresh air.
With a kind smile and sporting “California Casual”, Wolfe was a joy to be around. First I inquired him about rather run-of-the-mill subjects – favorite music, past-times, and childhood influences – and then moved onto heavier topics. In his answers, Dr. Wolfe offered sage advice and hopeful counsel.
With my last question, I asked him what words of wisdom he could offer to young people about pursuing their respective passions without fear. His response could not have been more thoughtful:
“If you aren’t sure what your passion is, people will say, ‘Well unless you know what you want to do it’s going to be hard to do it.’ I think some of that comes with time. When I started this work, I was interested in something totally different than I ended up doing. I think that the key is that it’s not easy work. Doing science and doing exploration – it can be competitive, it’s hard to get funding, there are tons of challenges that you face – I think the key is that if you are really passionate, just follow that passion. I guess it sounds a little bit hokey, but I do think that there will be people out there that know that they are not interested in the idea of doing science but they really have a pressing need to understand some part of the world or see something in a way that other people haven’t seen it. I think they’ll feel it in a way that really can only be described as sort of a deep passion. I think for those people, you just need to follow it and if you are feeling discouraged or you aren’t getting the right advice, just keep moving and talk to other people.”
As a young person, the prospect of finding your calling can be all too daunting. For me and for others, these words impart both hope and a call for some moxie. Additionally, with this response coming from a man as purpose-driven as Dr. Wolfe, it was of great comfort.
The next day, I shadowed Nathan for his tour around Beloit. His positivity and compassion were evidenced in his fielding of questions from and interactions with students at Beloit Memorial High School, sitting down with undergraduates over lunch at Beloit College, and mingling with attendees following his second lecture of the day at the RCAS fundraiser later that same evening.
One thing that was made perfectly obvious throughout the day was how well received Dr. Wolfe was by each age bracket that he chanced upon. His enthusiasm for a subject matter many would find disquieting was infectious. It made no difference if you were in the 8th grade or 80 years of age, Wolfe’s words left an impact. Countless curiosities were piqued during his brief time in Beloit and I will argue that his presence left many young people intrigued by the prospect of pursuing lives in the fields of science and exploration.
