Schools on Tundra 3: Enlightening!

LCC students Victor Zhao’13 and Andrew Hamilton’13 had the opportunity to participate in ArcticNet’s  Schools on Tundra program during the March Break.

“Students and teachers participating in the Schools on Tundra program [had] the unique opportunity to conduct authentic field research in the sub-arctic, engage with scientists working out of the [Churchill Northern Studies Centre] and participate in lectures and workshops. Participants also [experienced] the diverse geology, biodiversity, cultural history, and wild beauty that the area around Churchill offers.

The program was hosted at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC), a hive of scientific activity located outside of Churchill, MB Canada. Here, scientists are trying to increase our understanding of the changes that the sub-arctic is experiencing due to global climate change.”

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Feb 28th Blog pictureFebruary 28, 2013

We’ve been in Churchill for a few days, and not to be cliché, but to describe our experience in a word, it has been cold!  We’ve spent the last few days from dawn till dusk, doing science! Lectures that have gone entirely above our heads have been… “enlightening,” the Northern Lights lecture was genuine enlightenment and an amazing recounting of the way our world works.  Andrew and I were lucky enough to get a first-hand experience just now, around 8:40 Churchill time, right after seeing the most beautiful purebred Siberian sled dog, Princess Scarlett. Although anyone else would assert that she was here as part of the dog sledding presentation we just had in preparation for our dog sledding expedition in two days, in my mind I’m sure she was here to keep me company.

Over the past two days, we’ve spent a total of approximately nine hours in the outdoors, and in that time, I’ve noticed some things. The first is that as great as hand warmers are, when wind chill makes it so that it’s around 40 degrees below freezing, no hand warmer will keep you warm, and even with boots rated for -73 degree weather, the cold really bites deep, especially given that exposed hair WILL freeze, and that applies to eyebrows and eyelashes. Because of that, most people can’t see clearly by the time they return to the science centre. I’ve been having an especially fun experience where glasses aren’t great because neck guards are pretty crucial, and the second they cover your mouth and nose, the air that gets caught and fogs your glasses instantly. What people should recognize though is that even with whatever limited visibility or extreme cold there may be, being outside is beautiful here, and snow angels are absolutely amazing, even if you need to (read: get to) wear snowshoes to get to where you can make them.

More on the science side, we’ve mainly been doing snow sampling, tree sampling and generic lab work, and lectures have kept us so occupied that by the end of the day, everyone is absolutely exhausted. In fact, last night, after a long day of doing research and snowshoeing and sampling, we got to dinner, which has been absolutely amazing, and I may or may not have eaten ten pieces of pizza. Staying well rested and nourished has never been as important, but it’s really worth it, not only for the amazing scientific experience, but for the beauty of the area around us as well.  —Victor Zhao ’13

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