A California-based neurosurgeon, Ali Mesiwala, MD, serves as the medical director of Chaparral Medical Group and as a division chief at St. Bernardine Medical Center. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Ali Mesiwala, MD is, an avid supporter of the National Geographic Society.
Formed in 1888 to protect nature and provide educational content, the National Geographic Society operates a number of programs to support its goal of preservation and education, including BioBlitz events. A BioBlitz is a cooperative group event in which scientists, families, students, and others work together to identify as many species living in a specific area as possible in a short amount of time. To identify species, participants take photos of plants and animals that are found and upload them to iNaturalist, a smartphone application that enables anyone to record observations and share them with scientific data repositories, to be scientifically verified.
BioBlitz events, which typically take place in parks and outdoor recreation areas, provide an opportunity for participants to explore nature, share photos with scientists, network, and celebrate nature. BioBlitz events are held all over the United States, and more than 250 were held in 2016.
