On day one of PolarTREC orientation we collected data in regards to several key inquiry questions.
Inquiry Question #1: What is the minimum number of hours of sleep needed to attend the first day of orientation?
Answer: 3
My indoctrination to the PolarTREC family began with an impromptu Northern Lights Tour commencing just hours after landing in Fairbanks. A small team of four members of the cohort (Michelle, Keith, Bridget, and I) ventured out into the night to try our luck at seeing the aurora borealis, returning around 4:30AM.
Keith Smith, Michelle Hall, Kim Young, and Bridget Ward under the Northern Lights outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo Credit: Mr. Bill SkyFire Portraits)
Inquiry Question #2: Does dancing on Earth have any effect on making the Northern Lights dance?
Answer: Inconclusive.
Bridget and I developed a "wiggle dance" to encourage the lights to move, ripple, ribbon, and flare. This dance was effective at keeping us warm and while data collected showed correlation between our dancing and the light's intensity of movement, causation is still questionable. Our team did observe two extended "shows" with amazing green and pink colors visible to the naked eye. Learn more about the Northern Lights.
Northern Lights dancing in the Alaskan moonlight (Photo Credit: Kim Young)
Inquiry Question #3: Who is the fastest PolarTREC Ice Park sledder?
Answer: Wendy
After dinner our group completed one final adventure of the day at the Fairbanks Ice Park. This park contained ice sculptures of various sizes created by teams from around the world along with ice slides. One slide was about 50 feet long and was 8 lanes wide for racing. Initial trials proved the friction was too high for sliding with just snow pants. After salvaging plastic sled remnants from a nearby trash barrel, our speed greatly increased. Ultimately, Wendy proved to be the fastest sledder in the park.
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