WIU Professor Dives into Partnership with National Geographic

Leathernecks already have a global reach, but Western Illinois University Kinesiology Professor Christopher Kovacs is taking it to new depths — below the sea.

Kovacs spent the past summer working with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions, assisting underwater operations during this summer’s expeditions. That includes videography, underwater mapping and primarily maintaining the safety of the other members of dive operations during diving activities. This is Kovacs’ second season working with this group.

“We also attempt to explore regions that have not been previously explored in detail,” Kovacs said. “In addition, I will be providing multiple scientific lectures on cold water diving, human physiology and extreme environments, ice and glaciology and several historical topics related to the regions we are exploring.”

The National Geographic-Lindblad Expedition cruises take travelers to places on all seven continents. Kovacs serves as a diver on these expeditions, helping to explore and educate about the various aspects of what can be found in each locale.

This summer, Kovacs spent two weeks, from June 29, through July 13, working in the Inside Passage of southeast Alaska. From  July 21 through August 17 he worked in Iceland.

As part of his work with Lindblad Expeditions Kovacs recently had the opportunity to serve on the selection committee for the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship, a professional learning opportunity for pre-K-12 educators. This collaboration between the Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society selects educators to join them on these voyages. Kovacs served as a reviewer for applicants in 2024 when they selected 32 new fellows.

These fellows are able to transfer their onboard experience into transformative ways to teach students, engage colleagues, and bring new geographic awareness into their learning environments and communities.

Kovacs previously spent two weeks mapping a previously unexplored fjord in Greenland, which he said was one of his favorite memories.

“All of this would never have happened without our scuba program here at WIU,” Kovacs said. “It’s where I received much of my training 18 years ago.”

Kovacs has already applied to continue his partnership with the expedition team for 2026, with possible explorations in Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Svalbard. He hopes to learn about his next assignments this summer.

To learn more about WIU's Kinesiology program, visit wiu.edu/kinesiology.