Valerie Kipnis was born in the former Soviet Union and raised in Brooklyn. She worked at Vice News before falling hard for radio at This American Life. She pitched us on a story about the human impacts of a human-caused ecological crisis: the disappearance of the Aral Sea. Slowly shrinking over decades, what was once the fourth largest lake in the world has now largely dried up — with economic and public health consequences still playing out today.

Valerie is currently reporting from the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan, located in northwestern Uzbekistan. Follow her journey in photos and behind the scenes via our blog and Instagram.