About this entry
McMurdo Station is an amazing place. It’s really cool to get to know what happens in the background to make things work. I’ll be adding entries to let all of you know about some of the people and projects as I learn about them. This is the first of those entries.
Other Teachers
Jean Pennycook – Ms. Pennycook is a recently retired high school science teacher who has been coming to Antarctica for 11 years. She used to take off in the middle of the school year like I did, but after retiring two years ago, she now finds that she has much more freedom to focus on her true passion which is researching penguins and telling students around the world about these remarkable birds.
When I talked to Ms. Pennycook she told me that in the years that she has been coming down here that she has found out many things related to Antarctica. She has discovered that the people here are from all over the U. S. and world, and that they do it because the place draws them in and they too have the same passion for the continent that she does. It’s not just scientists either – it’s the shop mechanics, the lab technicians, the cooks, and everyone else that it takes to make McMurdo Station run smoothly. I have to say it must be true because so far everyone I’ve met is an enthusiastic supporter of the work that is being done here.
She also said that the amount of knowledge that most people have of the continent is very limited. As an outreach and education specialist she is doing everything she can to increase people’s knowledge and make them aware of the importance of Antarctica. Her chosen field, penguin science, makes this easy because face it – everyone loves penguins. If you want to learn more about her work and where her passion is focused, go to www.penguinscience.com.
IT Support
Bryan and Holly – These two guys are part of the Information Technology (IT) support here at McMurdo. In today’s high-tech world, you can’t do science or much else without someone to support the computer systems. These are two people (plus the rest of the IT staff) you want to keep happy!!!
Holly has been in the Antarctic for 11 seasons, always working in IT. He works for the Antarctic Support Contract (ASC) group full time, so when he’s not here at McMurdo he’s in Denver getting computer systems ready for the next season.
Bryan is in his third season in Antarctica. He’s had a more varied career down here on the ice – his first year he worked delivering food and supplies around McMurdo. The next year he fueled equipment and delivered fuel to projects. In his current assignment he’s doing IT support which is an area that he has the greatest amount of work experience in. Bryan noted that having multiple job skills has been a real benefit for him and it’s part of what got him the opportunity to work here on the ice.
Both Bryan and Holly said that their work here is among the most interesting they’ve done. It changes day-to-day and above all, they have to be innovative. If something breaks, you may not have exactly what you need to fix it, but because you have to make it work, you find a way. It takes determination and innovation. They both also like having direct contact with the science projects because they get to see firsthand the work that is being done.
Holly gave me one great insight he’s gained from working here and from being a father himself. He’s seen eighteen year-olds down here that have gained a totally new perspective when they were confronted with the isolation AND community that exist here at McMurdo. They grew and changed and gained a new level of maturity. He also said that no one should attempt to get a job in a place like this unless they’ve already had enough work experience to know what it’s like to have to be committed to making something work and to stick with a job to its completion. This is not a place where you can simply leave it to someone else to do – it’s your job start to finish.
Bryan also added that part of the reason he’s here is because his girlfriend had gotten a job in a field tech and support role and he wanted to be with her. And yes, after three seasons here, they are still together. Antarctica must be good for relationships!