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On our last full day (so the schedule would have us believe) at the Northeast Science Station, I am reminded of our first full day here. It’s the weather. It snowed on us then and it snowed on us again today. Actually, yesterday reminded me again of Colorado, a beautiful summer morning followed by

Last evening, the undergraduate and graduate students of the Polaris Project presented the results of their research at the 5th Annual Polaris Project Symposium. To do this, we transformed the dining hall of Orbita into a conference center. Each of these 15 students presented their research for 10

Over the last two days, many of us accompanied the researchers out to collect any nonpermanent sampling equipment, place long-term equipment to gather data over the next year until the Polaris Project returns, and take any final samples. ##Learning to take Trees Cores Last evening and this morning

To me as a teacher, one of the most rewarding aspects of the Polaris Program is watching mentoring relationships develop between students and researchers from the same university. Taking education out of the confines of the university and into the field, raises the level of thinking and problem

Last night Kim and I were inaugural athletes in the first ever Top of the World Midnight Marathon! Barrow does have a race as part of their Independence Day activities, but this event was sponsored by Runner's World and had water stations, medical support, and police presence (to protect the

Today it was so cold, it actually snowed while we were in the field collecting data!!! I was innocently walking towards the soil chambers when I felt hundreds of tiny cold spiky things striking me. "What is that?" I thought, "Sand?" Nope, it was snow! Barrow is 330 miles above the Arctic Circle and

In Maine they say "If you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes." Sorry vacationlanders, Svalbard is legit. This morning the weather was gorgeous: sunny, litte wind, and probably in the low 50's F. Then, allow for the hike in and just enough time for everyone to get mobilized and bring on the

The day off on Friday was an excellent respite from the daily hikes, intense science, and planning for each day's field work. So how did we spend it after my 'best of…from the archives" mid-day journal post? Well, going for a hike, reviewing some scientific thesis proposals, and then planning for

I had a chance to talk with Seth for a couple of hours on one of the first days at the station as we waited for a sampling team at Shuch’ye Lake. Immediately, I was impressed by Seth’s intellect and drive. Not only is he majoring in both chemistry and biology at St. Olaf College, he is also a

Today, I accompanied Brandi Jo Petronio and Peter Ganzlin to the forests just beyond the experimental burn plots, where they are jointly conducting their research project. Their research centers on determining the effects of leaf litter on the growth of moss. ##Why moss? Moss is Boss! Peter and