Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ulyana Horodyskyj Pena. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ulyana Horodyskyj, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

When I was a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder, I spent a lot of time outside, in the field, researching melting glaciers in Nepal. Surrounded by the towering snowy peaks of the Himalaya and working at 15,000 feet above sea level, I was deeply moved and inspired to get more people out in the wild, experiencing this and seeing this for themselves. I was keen for people to have truly immersive experiences in the wild. Thus, Science in the Wild, a citizen science initiative, was born. My life’s mission is to bring science to the people, and people to the science. I believe that people going on expedition and experiencing what it is like to be a scientist increases their awareness and understanding of science. The idea behind Science in the Wild was also: why not add to your hiking or climbing experience – get a deeper knowledge of the landscape and the communities where you vacation? Rather than be a tourist, be a traveler.

To not exclude those who may not be able to go on our trips and expeditions, we also offer in-person and virtual “Science Stories”, sharing experiences of adventure and science around the world, including what it’s like being part of an Arctic expedition; working on a ship in Antarctica; and climbing tall peaks around the world, trying to understand how they’re changing due to climate change.

Ulyana Horodyskyj, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In addition to leading expeditions with Science in the Wild and sharing “Science Stories” with the public, currently, I am the head of communications for the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Climate change is real, it’s happening now, and people are suffering. The center aims to provide useful tools and resources to help people adapt as these changes amplify and accelerate in the coming years.

I also consult on various research projects. Two recent undertakings include assisting an all-women team doing work near the Arctic; and the other with a young female climber, Lucy Westlake, on K2. When able, I guest-teach introductory and upper-level environmental science classes as a visiting assistant professor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and guest-speak aboard ships traveling to the Arctic and Antarctica.

I have a lot of curiosity and drive to learn more about the world, which has propelled me in a lot of different directions, but all are pointed towards science education. By the time I had turned 23 years, I had traveled to and worked on all 7 continents. A Fulbright fellowship afforded me the opportunity to live abroad in Nepal in 2013/14, where I traveled over 1000 miles on foot collecting data on glacial changes in high alpine regions. These early experiences shaped me and my desire for more people to experience what I have, deep in the heart of nature.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The 2020 COVID pandemic shut down our operations and it’s been very difficult getting back out into the field. Though people are eager to travel and experience the world again, now inflation has soared, driving up operating and expedition costs. But the pandemic has shown us the possibilities in the virtual world, so we’re keen to explore that more, through virtual presentations to schools and universities, and editing video content to bring people along on virtual expeditions. Even in the face of reduced operations, we’re pivoting and finding new avenues to bring science to the people!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started with building a Facebook presence/following and then Instagram. I never really ventured to the Twitter world (and that’s probably for the best now). What’s worked for me is showing my authentic self: not just sharing scientific content and cool climbing photos/videos, but also sharing the stories of what it’s like being outdoors, pushing my own personal physical and mental limits. What are some of the fears and vulnerabilities that I experience and face? I’m not a world-class athlete – far from it! So I share what it’s like, from my perspective, being both an athlete (mountaineer) and academic (scientist).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://scienceinthewild.com
• Instagram: @scienceinthewild
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unruly.uly/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulyana-horodyskyj-peña-b2a8bb3a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SummitsSongsandScience

Image Credits
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña Ricardo Peña