Nina M. Zitani, MSc, PhD
Working for Smithsonian Journeys at Machu Picchu, Peru, 2020.
Nina's Tropical Biodiversity field course (Western University), with their phenomenal Waorani guides Nemonte (centre), Nancamo (far right, orange shirt), Mencai (next to Nancamo), and children at Shiripuno Lodge, Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador.
Nina grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey, USA. After obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design she worked at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia and Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ. Subsequently she obtained a master of science and doctorate in entomology from the Shaw Lab, and helped establish the Insect Gallery at the University of Wyoming. She is an accomplished field research biologist, with an emphasis on exploring the Amazon rain forest of Ecuador and Peru. Her passion is teaching and guiding, and for over 30 years she has been an educator in the field and classroom, enriching her lectures on evolutionary biology, biodiversity and conservation science with media from her travels around the world. You can learn more about her work here: ninazitani.com