Smithsonian Student Travel Experts

Share Their Insights and Understanding

A Smithsonian Student Travel Expert joins every program for a portion of the itinerary. Our experts are professionals in their field and are able to tie in their knowledge and experiences with the themes of the program. They are welcoming, engaging, and accessible, and provide students with unique insights in a way that only Smithsonian is able to offer. During their time with the group, they participate in all activities and meals, offering students opportunities to engage in meaningful ways. Our experts work in museums, conduct experiments, collect data, and organize community gardens. They are curators, educators, researchers, conservationists, and historians. Meet a few of the experts who will join you in summer 2023.

To view the full list and bios of Smithsonian Student Travel Experts, visit SmithsonianStudentTravel.org/experts.

April Nowell

April Nowell is a Paleolithic archaeologist and a professor of anthropology who has taught classes on cave art for more than 20 years. She directs an international team of researchers in the study of Paleolithic sites in Jordan and collaborates with colleagues on cave art in France and Australia. April is also known for her work on the archaeology of children, and the relationship between science, pop culture, and the media. April will join one of our student travel programs in France.

The program exceeded our expectations. The expert helped our daughter learn about the field of environmental sciences, make new friendships, and experience a new part of the world. – Parent Jennifer V.

Geeta Mehta

Geeta Mehta is an expert in architecture and urban design and teaches at Columbia University. Her experience of working in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America enables her to bring a global perspective to her teaching. She has spoken on social capital, sustainable and equitable urbanism, and community-based change at forums around the world, including a panel in Copenhagen and as part of New York’s Waterfront Management Advisory Board. Geeta will join one of our student travel programs in New York & Denmark.

Hugh Shapiro

Hugh Shapiro, a professor of East Asian history, has spent years of study in China, Japan, and Taiwan, and has enjoyed appointments in each country as well as at Princeton University. Hugh believes in “adventure pedagogy”: mindful immersion in the host culture combined with serious study of its history, literature, and geopolitics. His other teaching interests include medicine, visual and performance art, and the history of decolonization and authoritarianism. Hugh will join one of our student travel programs in Japan.

Ashley Elston

Ashley Elston is an art historian who weaves art, history, religion, and culture into her teaching. As an associate professor of art history, she teaches a variety of courses on European art from the ancient world to the 19th century. Awarded a Fulbright grant, Ashley lived in Italy to conduct her doctoral research on Italian medieval and Renaissance art. Another of her research interests includes the history of American collections of Renaissance art. Ashley will join one of our student travel programs in Greece & Italy.