PolarisProject

New applications are rolling in for the summer 2010 field course. I have nothing in particular to add other than that we continue to draw some of the brightest and most interesting students from a great range of academic institutions. It’s an honor to see the applications arrive.

Yet more new science stories. We are rolling them out as they are finished. Look at the stream story and the permafrost story. (Oh and the science page has had a small makeover too)

Check out the new Science Stories on the bug project and the survey project. Both are fanstistic ways of learning about the science done on the field course told in the student’s own words.

Andy Revkin continues his interesting coverage of the Arctic. Look at this postcard – similar in some ways to the coverage he gave the Polaris Project during last summer’s field course. The descriptions of the art and the artists in this post are inspiring. Make sure to listen to the sound sample.

After countless hours of work, Chris Linder has completed a 10-minute video that follows the Polaris Project during the 2009 field course.  The video can be accessed from the “Stories” page of this website.  Chris did a fantastic job – I really think that the video will help others get a better understanding of the “Polaris Project Experience”.

We have high-resolution versions of the video available on DVD.  You can request a free DVD. You can also get a hi-res version from Vimeo here.

Thanks to all participants for making the Polaris Project what it is – and to Chris Linder for doing such a great job of capturing it in this multimedia piece.

Max Holmes

Yesterday the Clarkie students traveled in to Boston from Worcester to attend fellow Polaris Member Chris Linder’s art exhibition. The exhibit, Exploring the Arctic Seafloor, displayed photos from an expedition to map what lies under the sea ice. Chris went with a team from WHOI to document the science and the landscape aboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden. Along the way, he took amazing photos of the sea ice, the unsetting sun, polar bears and birds, and life aboard the ship. From landing the helicopter that barely fits on a slab of ice, to orange mats of microbial life on the ocean floor, the science and life style of these scientists in the field chronicles the challenges and beauty of working in such an extreme place. Even though we were working in a far different environment, seeing this exhibit brought back memories of our time in Siberia.
We had a great time seeing Chris again and catching up a little. We also had fun talking to a few people about the science we did and doing a little outreach of our own. Deciding that there was a dearth of pictures featuring Chris, we took one of him posing in front of his work. We’re both continuing to work on our respective projects, developing ideas and getting ready to present to our communities. As well as presentations at Clark, Claire is going home to Austin in November to speak to her old AP Environmental Science class. Blaize will also be giving a presentation this fall to her high school in South Windsor, CT.

Blaize and Claire

Chris and I selected 100 of the 21,000 images he took and got some up under the Photos page. We tried to focus on images that captured the feel of the trip and didn’t include many of the specific images that documented the science that went on during the 2009 field course. Those will be included in the science stories that are being produced. In fact, the first science story is up – congrats to Brian Kantor for finishing it up and we are looking forward to seeing the rest of them soon.

One of the objectives of the Polaris Project is to help get the story of the Arctic, climate change, and the Polaris Project to as broad an audience as possible.  The Polaris Project website is one means of doing so, as are public presentations by project faculty and students as well as media interviews.

Sudeep Chandra (professor) and Joanne Heslop (student) from the University of Nevada- Reno have done a fantastic job of “getting the story out” since returning from Siberia at the end of July.  Just this week, they’ve been on TV, radio, and in the newspaper!  Links are pasted below:

1) Report on KNPB PBS TV station

(http://www.knpb.org/programming/local/knpb-reports/studying-arctic-carbon).

2) Front-page article in the Reno Gazette Journal newspaper

(http://www.rgj.com/article/20090818/NEWS/908180333).

3) Interview of KPR NPR radio station – to be archived later at:

(http://www.capradio.org/programs/insight/default.aspx).

It has been a few weeks since the Polaris Project disbanded and I’ve had some time to reflect on my experience. I remember distinctly when Max Holmes invited me into his office to show me pictures of Cherskii and describe the Polaris Project. While the pictures and descriptions provided me with some idea of where I was headed, there was no way I could have anticipated the effect my time in Cherskii would have on me.

The Polaris project begins and ends with science, but the science is just the beginning. In our final reflections in Moscow, I think Max Janicek summed it up perfectly when he said, “it’s the people that make the experience so special.” I couldn’t agree more and I couldn’t have asked for a more fun, smart, or compatible group then we had this summer. I was deeply moved by our group’s final reflections because I think they really brought home why the Polaris Project is so unique. The Polaris Project is scientific collaboration at a level I’ve never experienced, where deep friendship is fostered alongside learning. For this reason, my time in Cherskii was not simply a field trip and some notes. It was a defining and influential experience in my life because of the relationships and connections I made with the other students and professors.

Walking through the moss covered larch forests and next to snow patches in the tundra was unbelievable. The beauty of the landscape never waned over my time there and by the end I felt like I was leaving home. Throughout college, we have many “homes” including where we grew up, apartments over the summer, dorms, off-campus houses etc. I guarantee few people ever call a barge sitting on the Kolyma River in Siberia a home. How incredible is that?

My stream project with Erin and John was very exciting, and like the other students, there is much more work ahead. Looking back, I am very grateful for the encouragement and guidance provided to me by all of the PIs. The students were truly lucky to have each and every professor for their unique expertise and enthusiasm. I was always surprised by the immediacy with which they could satisfy any question that I had. You cannot learn like this from a lecture or a textbook. Many times my conversations with the PI’s pertained to the science we were doing, but they were often about the paths that led them to be arctic scientists. As a result, I’m more interested in arctic science than ever before, I can definitely see myself pursuing this field of science.

The whole time was remarkable, and I am so thankful that I had a chance to meet all the PI’s and students. The trip definitely surpassed my expectations and I just felt like reiterating some of the reasons why it meant so much to me in this reflection.

Thank you to all the friends I made in Cherskii who provided me with such a unique and unforgettable experience.

Travis

PS There was a great 2-part article on Siberia in the last two issues of the New Yorker. You can’t read it unless you subscribe, but here’s a pretty neat slideshow by the photographer.

Check out this article in this week’s issue of The Economist on Arctic permafrost thaw.

http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14119825