Crary Lab – where Antarctic Science gets completed. Today's journal is intended to honor Albert P. Crary and to show the beautiful facility that is the Crary Lab. The day outside is cold, snowy and highly windy. There is not much to be done outside. We are awaiting a great deal of training and this is the perfect opportunity to show where we will be processing our samples collected in the field and to point out a few amazing people and places inside the Crary Lab!
Front entrance of the Crary Lab.
An image of Crary Lab hanging in Stairwwell, painted by Mellenbruch.
Who was Albert P. Crary? A man who dedicated his life in the service of advancing polar science. Crary, a decorated geophysicist, consumed himself with polar glaciology for 25 years covering issues in sea ice, ice islands and ocean dynamics. He served as the chief scientist for the Air Force after their occupation of "Fletcher's Ice Island" in the Arctic Ocean. He flew to and landed at the North Pole and later traveled to Antarctica and the South Pole, becoming the first person to set foot on both poles. He served as the National Science Foundation Chief Scientist of the U.S. Antarctic Research Program from 1960-1968 and as deputy director and eventually director of the Environmental Science for the National Science Foundation from 1969 until he retired in 1976. Crary died in 1987. On Nov. 4th of 1991, the Crary Lab was dedicated at McMurdo Station.
Albert P. Crary, Photo inside Crary Lab.
Welcome to the Lab!
What is the Crary Lab? A fairly large building with 5 distinct pods where the magic of polar science takes place. In houses many active labs, a variety of offices for scientists in residence and support offices.
Entry corridor inside Crary.
Adelie Penguin and South Polar Skua, both birds found at McMurdo Station.
Crary Library and Speaker Venue.
Lab space outside our offices at Crary.
Cold lab freezer space where we will store our ice cores from the field.
Public tours are held on Sundays and includes a coveted excursion to the aquarium pod where a touch tank holds a variety of specimens from Nudibranches to starfish and everything in between.
Touch tank in the aquarium in pod 5 of Crary!
Nudibranch, sponges and scallops in the touch tank at Crary!
Starfish tube feet, so cool to see them working.
More touch tank critters of the sea!
Spider-like creature in the touch tank.
Experimental fish in the aquarium.
Aquarium lab view.
Ice fish without hemoglobin, antifreeze proteins instead!
Model of an ice fish at Crary.
Everyone I have encountered is helpful and dedicated to ensuring the scientists have what they need to do their work.
Lab Assistants Travis Guy and Carolyn Lipke, a UW-Madison graduate!
Joni Zinsman, Head of the IT department, instrumental in getting us hooked up to the internet and running our live PolarConnect event!
Scienists are hard at work all over the building. Many engaged in group discussions with their teams or at their labs analyzing or collecting data or even typing away results and findings.
Ecological Impact Team in discussion.
Our office space in Crary with Drs. Xie and Gao.
Science is tough work and much happens behind the scenes but is amazing and rewarding on so many levels. Someday perhaps these Flat Lorax postcard illustrators will decide that they too want to be part of this wonderful world of science!
Flat Lorax postcards for Eli in 1st grade and Ross in HS!
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