
Albert Yu-Min Lin is one of the National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s “Adventurers of the Year” for his obsession with the story of conqueror Genghis Khan,. The obsession turned into a real-life expedition to create digital projections of the Ikh Khorig—the “Forbidden Zone”—of northern Mongolia, where the legendary conqueror who amassed a countless fortune larger than any other in history, is reputed to be buried. Lin is a Powell Lee Fellow, conducting doctoral work at the University of California at San Diego in Materials Science. His expertise in materials characterization resulted in 11 journal publications over a period of 4 years, including one review paper which was recognized as one of the top 10 most important articles in materials science for over 3 months. After having spent the last eight summers solo trekking to the far reaches of the world, Lin felt compelled to dedicate his life to the efforts of the developing world and the preservation of cultural heritage.