Keynote Speakers

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26

Marina Village Conference Center

Biologist, researcher, conservationist, and guide, Alvaro began birding at 11 years old. Born in Chile, he started guiding local trips as a teenager and is the owner of the international birding tour company, Alvaro’s Adventures. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the riches of the Neotropics where he has traveled extensively.

Alvaro was granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York; awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and the encouragement of amateur bird watchers.

Recently, he started Birding Your Best Life, a membership community relating to birding and enjoying birds.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1

Location TBD

Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She chose to write fiction instead. Her novels are The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement, all New York Times bestsellers.

Her work has been translated into 35 languages, from Spanish, French, and Finnish to Chinese, Arabic, and Hebrew.

In keeping with her love of science in the wild and childhood love of doodling, she recently took up nature journal sketching. Her new book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles (Knopf, April 23, 2024), debuted at #1 on both the New York Times and the Indie bestseller list.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28

San Diego NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Juliana is currently a graduate student in the Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology at the University of Illinois while working on research of host-parasite systems at the Illinois Natural History Survey. She has been working on several research projects involving survey expeditions and community science on the Neotropics. She is passionate about biodiversity and science communication, and is always excited to teach and communicate science in creative and inclusive ways to diverse audiences.