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Homeward Bound
Today is the Fab Four’s final day in Cherskiy – only one more of Valentina’s delicious lunches and we’re on our way to the airport. Leaving is very bittersweet; while we are excited by the thought of seeing friends and family in a few short days, we are very sad to be leaving this place that we have grown to love over the past few months.…
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We’re back!
We successfully made the tundra trip in one day and arrived home safe and sound late last night. Now on to a full day of lab work to process our samples!…
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Fab Four Updates
Today is another chilly, blustery day in Cherskiy and as I look wistfully out windows of the lab (the NUT prison) the clouds are scuttling madly across the sky. Luckily though, it is finally sunny after days of cloudy weather which is a significant improvement.…
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“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
When you’re a kid, that question is an exciting and fun question to answer; the possibilities are endless. As we age, this inquiry seems to get more difficult to answer; until you’re a college student and the question, “What are you doing after college?”…
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Meet the Stream Team!
Even though we’ve only been here for a few days, our projects are already underway. The Stream Team (Erin, Kate, and Travis) is continuing work from last summer’s progress towards understanding nutrient and carbon processing in small streams in the area.…
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10 reasons you know you are living in an Arctic science station…
10 reasons you know you are living in an Arctic science station 1) Instead of band posters decorating the walls, there is satellite imagery of the area. 2) The fish tank is filled with species caught from the river we’re living on.…
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Glad to be back!
At last, we have returned to the land of mullets, track suits, and buttery food. It is good to be back. Currently, we four returning students are lounging in a room on the third floor of a hotel-like structure on the outskirts of Moscow.…
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Yay! New Polaris Students!
Hello from…snowy Minnesota? Leaving Miami only to get delayed by snowstorms in Chicago was a bit of a depressing feeling. Clearly I am going to school in the half of the country. The past week was GREAT. Attending the State of the Arctic conference was a perfect way to start off this field season.…
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Look Mom! I can time travel!
Today the group finally got to adventure into the past – the Pleistocene to be specific! After a hearty lunch of moose stew, we embarked in an armada of boats and traveled by river to Pleistocene Park. After hearing and reading so much about this incredible experiment, this was a much anticipated trip for everyone.…
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Snow in July and Pie for Breakfast
I woke up this morning to Erin standing shivering in our room, “It’s so freaking cold.” Five minutes later we stared out the window as snow swirled by (in sizeable chunks). We immediately thought of our other two roommates who had woken up this morning to go out in the field to do field work. …
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Succes in the lab! But…
The plague of the Hebrews has struck the barge. Ok, I may be exaggerating a little bit. Not quite a biblical plague, but a mere cold/flu outbreak has reached the team here. Several PI’s and students have come down with some unpleasant symptoms but luckily for the rest of the group (and unluckily for us) we have been quarantined off in the sleeping quarters of the new lab to prevent the whole barge from going down (no pun intended!).…
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Sarah are you there?
Yesterday, we attended the Siberian Children’s Art Exhibit in Yakutsk. We were lucky enough to see cultural dances performed be Yakutian children. They were adorable and eager to interact and pose for pictures. The artwork was amazing coming from art students as young as 8.…
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D-Day! (Departure Day)
After a gripping round of icebreakers, the students–and professors– from St Olaf, Carleton, UNR, and Western Washington are anxiously awaiting their departure. Bitting our nails, missing our parental figures, and frantically trying to complete required readings, we are ready to get on the plane!…
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