David Burney in the radio studio

Dr. Burney recently was invited to the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington D.C. to speak in a series called “A Closer Look.” This was an audition of sorts, in which recipients of National Geographic grants are chosen to provide a talk about their funded research project for several dozen of the more than 1500 employees of this grand institution, including publicists, administrative officials, and technical staff of the various media branches. Several products came out of this: on June 17 an interview (listen online here) aired with Boyd Matson, host of the “National Geographic Weekend” talk show on XM Sirius Satellite Radio and about 100 radio stations throughout the nation.

A web page is being prepared in the “Explorers” series on the National Geographic website, and Burney was filmed telling stories from his research for an animation project of the Vancouver Film School. Discussions were also held with representatives from the National Geographic television and magazine branches, so fingers crossed!

Meanwhile two other folks associated with the cave project, Dr. Terry Hunt of UH Manoa Anthropology Department and Co-Director of the Kaua`i Archaeological Field School with Dr. Burney, and Dr. Carl Lipo of the Geospatial Research and Mapping project, a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program working at the Makauwahi Cave Reserve and National Tropical Botanical Garden this month, gave a public talk at National Geographic on their research on the stone monuments of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and will be featured the July edition of National Geographic Magazine. Their award-winning book, The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island has also been the basis of an upcoming film by National Geographic that features the authors and their colleagues moving a full-sized replica of one of the great stone heads by walking it upright by rocking it back and forth with strong ropes.