Field Notes

During, before, and after the field course, Polaris students and faculty share their thoughts through journal entries.

 

© Chris Linder

 

  • Howdy!

    Hello everyone. My name is Max Wilbert, and I am the Western Washington student who will be working with Chris Linder on multimedia production this summer. I’m quite looking forward to the trip – the Arctic is the front lines of the climate catastrophe, and I want to learn as

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  • Hello Everyone!

    My name is Andrew Crowley and I’m in my junior year at Holy Cross where I study Biology and Russian.  I have some experience working in the field thanks to a Freshwater Ecology course I took last fall.  Most of the work I did dealt with biological oxygen demand and

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  • Hello from Nevada!

    My name is Emily Ulrich and I’m a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. I’m very interested in limnology and hope to explore this during the project. So far, I don’t have a specific project to discuss, but it is currently in progress.…

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  • Hello!

    I guess I’ll get the ball rolling for the new students. My name is Sam Dunn, I am Junior at St. Olaf College majoring in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies.  I’ve previously done work in streams and wetlands with methane and nitrous oxide flux, but for my time

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  • SoA and Introductions

    Hi everyone! Like the previous posts have said, we had a mini 2009 Polaris Project reunion at the State of the Arctic Conference in Miami last week. It was great to see everyone again, and attending this conference made me really excited to go back to Cherskiy this summer.…

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  • Arctic Science in Miami

    After a busy 4 days at the State of the Arctic (SoA) in Miami, I have found some time to distill the whirlwind of information and advice. SoA was my first science conference and I didn’t exactly know what to expect.…

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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

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  • State of the Arctic Conference and beyond!

    It was really great going to the State of the Arctic conference this past week, re-connecting with all the Polaris folks, presenting our research, and meeting some of the leaders in arctic climate change research.  We each had posters discussing our projects and got some great feedback from the other

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  • Sunny Arctic Knowledge

    Hi from the State of the Arctic Conference! We’re here schmoozing with the stars of arctic science and finding happiness in the world of science. A typical day at the conference begins bleary-eyed at 8:30 with a breakfast of tropical fruit, croissants, and COFFEE while listening to presentations introducing the

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  • State of the Arctic Conference

    This past couple of days have been full of short presentations, plenary talks, and conversation. The Polaris Project is reuniting at the State of the Arctic Conference right now in Miami, FL and I’m definitely enjoying my time here. I was able to present at a poster session regarding my

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  • Streams and permafrost

    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)…

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  • Missing the Arctic

    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

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  • Some reflections…

    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.…

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  • Moving on to Phase Two

    Hello everyone. I hadn’t written a blog entry in awhile, so now that I am home and rested I thought I should post an update on where I am and where I’m going with my project. During our three weeks in Cherskiy, Valentin, Nickolay, and I collected over 130 soil

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  • Final Reflections

    I am, as Karen can attest to, a fairly indecisive person when it comes to my future. I worry a lot about whether I’m making the right choice, the what-ifs and alternative possibilities always seeming like they might be just as good.…

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