Tennessee STEAM Festival Honorary Chair Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza to Speak at MTSU, Discovery Center and Southern Festival of Books

Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, National Geographic Explorer and Honorary Chair of the 10th Annual Tennessee STEAM Festival, will visit Middle Tennessee on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, for a series of public events in Murfreesboro and Nashville. Her visit is part of the statewide festival, which runs October 9–25 and is founded by Discovery Center at Murfree Spring.

Dr. Vásquez Espinoza is the founder and executive director of Amazon Research International. Named one of the BBC’s 100 Women, she is known for her research on the Boiling River in the Peruvian Amazon and her work protecting rainforest biodiversity alongside Indigenous communities. She is the author of The Spirit of the Rainforest, which explores how Indigenous wisdom and scientific curiosity can reconnect us to the natural world.

Friday, October 16 — Middle Tennessee State University

Dr. Vásquez Espinoza begins her visit at MTSU with a meet and greet at 3:30 p.m. in Wiser-Patten Science Hall, Room 102. At 4 p.m., she will deliver a public lecture, “The Spirit and the Science of the Rainforest.”

Saturday, October 17 — Discovery Center and Nashville

On Saturday at 10:30 a.m., she will lead a family workshop at Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, included with museum admission. At 12:30 p.m., she will host a Teen Science Café workshop with Discovery Center’s Young Leaders Council. That afternoon at 4 p.m., she will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville at Big Fiery Gizzard & Little Pigeon’s Creativity Land.

The MTSU lecture is free and open to the public. The family workshop is included with museum admission. The Teen Science Café is free, but registration is required, and it does not include admission to the museum. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza as Honorary Chair during this milestone year for the Tennessee STEAM Festival,” said Tara MacDougall, President and CEO of Discovery Center. “Her passion for exploration, scientific discovery, and inspiring the next generation perfectly embodies the mission of the Festival. As we celebrate 10 years of bringing science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics opportunities to communities across Tennessee, we couldn’t imagine a more inspiring ambassador for this anniversary year.”

The Tennessee STEAM Festival is made possible by sponsors including Amazon, Franke, the American Chemical Society Nashville Local Section, the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Academy of Science. For the full festival schedule, visit tnsteam.org.