Life, like planet earth, is constantly changing and full of surprises. Our department (Earth Science and Anthropology) moved from a Math Science Building which was built shortly before the Dinosaur Extinction, to the new Allied Health Sciences Building which was (almost) completed days before fall semester began.
The old classrooms and offices for the Earth Science and Anthropology faculty were located in this building.
This is the new location for classes and offices of the Earth Science and Anthropology department.
Some of my colleagues threw a Bon Voyage party for me in the new building.
Earth Science and Anthropology and Math faculty throw me a surprise Bon Voyage party.
My Bon Voyage cake complete with penguins.
The project team I will be working with also changed from the CReSIS Team to Dr. David Marchant of Boston University. Dr. Marchant is conducting groundbreaking research into the past climate of Antarctica. His field camp in Beacon Valley was described to me as "extremely remote and primitive", while Dr. Marchant was described as "hardcore". Every geology student knows what that means! I hope that my inner child undergraduate student is still alive and will rise to the occasion.
Dr. Marchant delivered a real-time lecture on his research and the implications for climate change to my Oceanography class and the Environmental Science Laboratory class on October 15 via videoconferencing. The students were able to see him and ask him questions regarding his research. His enthusiasm and passion for his work impressed us all. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him in Antarctica.
I will be leaving on November 6 and the planned itinerary is to fly out of LAX to Auckland, New Zealand and change planes to Christchurch, New Zealand. In Christchurch, I will pick up all the heavy weather gear I will need for the ice from the Clothing Distribution Warehouse. From Christchurch, New Zealand, I will be taken to McMurdo Station, Antarctica by an Air Force plane for safety and survival training. The final leg of the journey is a helicopter ride to Dr. Marchant's field camp. There are only a couple of days before the trip, so my next logs will be from down under - way down under.