29 March 2017 Meeting the team

What is it like to finally meet the people with whom you'll spend three weeks at a remote Arctic field camp?

When I returned from orientation and told my students more about my expedition, they were anxious on my behalf. The idea of being isolated in such a remote location with three strangers was intimidating. "They'd better be nice!" one student laughed nervously.

Well, after three months of videoconferences, emails, planning, and training, I can confirm that they absolutely are nice. Ellie, along with her advisor Darrell and his wife Mindy, took time during their spring break to make the long drive to meet me and my students and to guest star as teachers for the day.

Ellie Broadman and Darrell Kaufman, scientists from Northern Arizona University, present in PolarTREC teacher Rebecca Harris' classroom.

Ellie has a diverse background in field research and knew just what information to share with a classroom of students who had never been to the Arctic. Darrell and Mindy have years of Arctic research experience, and Mindy is a veteran teacher and PolarTREC alumnus. I will be posting in-depth profiles of the research team in future journals, so check back to learn more about these amazing scientists!

PolarTREC researchers Ellie Broadman and Darrell Kaufman show off a coring device to Escalante High School students.

They spent the day teaching about glaciers, sharing information on Arctic and paleoclimate research, and perhaps most importantly, answering our questions about the expedition. After the final bell, we meandered through a slickrock canyon, cooling our feet in the Escalante River. The conversation was relaxed and inspiring. I came away with so many ideas of how to bring our research back to my students and a few bits of information about the geology of the river. It was my first few miles of hiking with Ellie and Darrell, and I look forward to many, many more.

Mindy Bell (Flagstaff STEM coordinator and PolarTREC alumnus), Darrell Kaufman (NAU Professor), Ellie Broadman (PolarTREC scientist), and Rebecca Harris (PolarTREC teacher) take a hiking break below Ancestral Puebloan pictographs.