19 March 2020 Virtual Field Training in Boulder - AKA My Basement

When I found out I had been selected for PolarTREC, I was very excited and surprised. I participated in an expedition to the Arctic in 2009 with the Armada Project and was bit by the "Polar Bug." I had never imagined the profound effect that a place could have on me. The scale, starkness, and fragility of the landscape were inspiring and changed the trajectory of my teaching. I "stealth bombed" Arctic themes into my Biology curriculum. I connected students with scientists, participated in symposia and discussions, and became the "Polar Expert" for my immigrant students in the Chicagoland area. Since then, I have looked for a way to get back to the area. I am three years from retirement, so I felt that my time was running short to continue to impact my students in this way. Through a colleague from the USCGC Healy, I was able to connect with Jim Thomson from the University of Washington who researchers aboard the R/V Sikuliaq. After a few bumps in the ice, here we are at PolarTREC. I have been preparing for weeks for Orientation. Having been involved in a similar program, I know how valuable the week in Boulder, CO would be in terms of distraction-free, hands-on training and in building a professional cohort. Then came Covid-19. Consequently, field training has to be done through a computer, and my basement in Northbrook, IL has been nicknamed Boulder.