Today has been my favorite day of PolarTREC Orientation yet! We started this morning by learning to add photos to our journals and then had a lesson entitled "Staying Safe in the Field: from A-Z."
I also learned some more today about Palmer Station and what to expect while I'm there. Palmer holds about 40 people and is much smaller than McMurdo station, where some of the other PolarTREC teachers will be for their expeditions. McMurdo Station is more like a small city, holding up to 1,200 people. One of the PolarTREC teachers, Michelle Brown, will be working on a project examining human impacts at McMurdo Station and I'll be interested to follow her expedition with my students!
After safety training, we learned how to use satellite phones and I had the opportunity to phone home from the parking lot outside the conference center. I had some fun practicing with Paula Dell, a teacher from Chicago.
Paula Dell and Nell Herrmann practice with satellite phones
In the afternoon, we shuttled to the CH2M HILL Polar Services Warehouse. CH2M HILL is a contractor that provides logistics services for NSF-funded science research in the Arctic; Raytheon is the contractor for the Antarctic. We heard from Matt Irinaga about the clothing we'll need and how to pack for our expeditions. I was pleased to learn that while I'm at Palmer Station next February and March, I can expect temperatures to get up into the 30's and possibly as high as the 50's! I won't be getting the same ECW (extreme cold weather) gear as some of the other teachers.
Matt Irinaga of CH2M HILL demonstrating how to dress for field work in the polar regions
After dinner, we all took a trip to the World Ice Art Championships. Wow! We met ice sculptors from several countries including Japan, Spain, and Russia. They were all participating in the single block category; they're givien a huge block of ice and can sculpt it with a variety of tools from chain saws, to irons, to drills. The artistry was incredible and I was awed by the creativity.
Having fun at the World Ice Art Championships
Sledding with the PolarTREC teachers at the Ice Art Championships
An artist from Japan perfecting his sculpture
One of my favorite sculptures at the competition
I'm back at the hotel and am going to bed feeling tired and happy. I can't wait for tomorrow's excursion to a thermokarst lake!