Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 12/04/2013 - 06:08
Forums
Soil Ecology in Antarctic Dry Valleys

Hello Mr. Kendhammer, My name is Preston Frank and i am a senior at Parishville-Hopkinton. I am in Mr. Clarks Ecology class and i was wondering why you decided to go to Antarctica and study Soil Ecology in the Antarctic Dry Valleys?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 14:14

Justin Kendhammer

Hi Preston,For some people going to Antarctica has been a lifelong pursuit. For me, it was an opportunity that I chose to take advantage of.My wife is a soil ecologist and she was here last year as a part of a collaboration between UNM and NAU to study the soils of the Dry Valleys. She was really impressed with the beauty of the landscape and suggested that I apply to PolarTREC. As you may be aware this program is designed to help students and communities become more aware of the science that is taking place in the polar regions. I filled out the application and was accepted. In terms of why a social studies teacher in a more science roll, I can say that I work in an integrated model that incorporates science, english, and social studies. We have a magnet school called Alpine Leadership Academy that focuses on the Colorado Plateau using a place based model.Thanks for the question.JK