5 December 2018 PolarTREC Polly

PolarTREC Polly

This little lego figure is PolarTREC Polly. She is hidden here in McMurdo and her location is known only to PolarTREC teachers!

Bridget Ward, a fellow PolarTREC teacher, who had her Weddell Seals: Growing up on Ice, expedition delayed until 2019, had a great idea that she was going to implement when she got to McMurdo Station.

2019-20 PolarTREC teacher Bridget Ward (Weddell Seals:Growing up on the Ice project) came up with the idea for "PolarTREC Polly."

Bridget came up with a way to connect all PolarTREC teachers who travel to or through McMurdo Station in Antarctica in the future. The idea is that this little Antarctic Lego woman will be hidden in a secret place, somewhere in McMurdo Station. The hidden location will only be known to the PolarTREC teachers. Each teacher who deploys to or through McMurdo will find “PolarTREC Polly” and get their picture taken with her and sign their names, project and year and put her back for the next teachers to find. Year after year.

2018-19 PolarTREC McMurdo Crew

The 2018 PolarTREC McMurdo based teachers (Mike Penn (left), Bridget Ward (center), Kevin Dickerson (right) seen here at PolarTREC Orientation in Fairbanks at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

There were five PolarTREC teachers originally scheduled to go to the Antarctic during the 2018-19 season. Sadly two of our group couldn't participate this year due to some unforeseen medical and logistical problems. Bridget Ward was one of the teachers (the middle of this picture) who is delayed until next season. Bridget will be working with the Weddell Seals: Growing Up on Ice project in 2019. Also seen in this picture is Kevin Dickerson (right hand side). Kevin will be down into Antarctica with his project Dry Valley Ecosystems Study just after I leave in late December. And that leaves me on the far left of the picture. Since Bridget was delayed until next year, I was tasked with hiding PolarTREC Polly for the first time.

Where is she?

I hid PolarTREC Polly in a place that I thought all PolarTREC teachers would have access to. And also in a specific place that isn't frequently accessed so that she is unlikely to be noticed and moved by some well-meaning, but unknowing person.

PolarTREC Polly is now hidden in an undisclosed location, somewhere in McMurdo Station, Antarctica. PolarTREC teachers will sign their names, projects, date and hometowns and leave her for the next teacher to find!