Schools on Tundra 2: Settling In

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.”

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb 26th Blog pictureFebruary 26, 2012

So here we are. Churchill. Our train pulled into the station today, full of anticipation. After 45 hours on the train (and in towns along the way), I’d say that the arrival has also solved our restlessness. We are now a group of nine, waiting for our final member to arrive tonight. As far as the students go, there are four from Quebec, four from Manitoba and a pair from Nunavut. I already feel as though I’ve known these fellow participants for much longer than what time and addition say. Between midnight games of ninja in the snow in Gillam, MB, the (friendly) provincial competition in our card games, and the shared suffering of trying to sleep in seats on the train, we have grown incredibly close as a group.

For the next eight days, we will be staying at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to education and research on climate change in the North. The building that houses the organization (and us!) was purpose-built through donations from the provincial and federal governments, as well as through private donations. My favuorite part of the building has to be the Aurora Dome. As the name suggests, this is a dome on top of the building used to watch the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights. Although we are out of season for polar bears, getting to see the lights from such a great vantage point will more than make up for it.

As I am writing this, we are preparing to hear a lecture from Dr. Pete Kershaw. He will be speaking to prepare us for tomorrow’s main activity, taking snow samples. We will also be hearing from a specialist on one of this area’s main attractions, the Aurora Borealis. –Andrew Hamilton ’13

Schools on Board – 1: Tired & Anticipating

Feb 24th Blog pictureLCC 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.”

Enjoy the blogs!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, February 24, 2013

It’s around 9 pm Winnipeg time, 10 pm Montreal time, and even without the trip really beginning, I am, in a word, tired. After a delayed flight, Andrew and I arrived yesterday at around 4:30, and unfortunately we missed the first orientation activity, where the group just walked around Forks, a town named after the fact that it is at the fork of two major rivers, the Red River and the Assiniboine. We had a nice dinner, a highlight of which was Andrew ordering the “muddy burger,” a burger big enough that he had to cut it into pieces with fork and knife to eat it, and met the four girls and two other guys that formed our current group before we met the other two boys in Churchill. We had a nice time skating along a barely-frozen path that was also at times terrifying and quite painful due to the skates we were wearing. By lights out at 10:30, the four guys in our room still hadn’t showered or decided where people were sleeping, as we only had two beds for four people, and the sleeping arrangements were really only decided at 4 in the morning when Tyler, the boy from Iqaluit who had elected to sleep on the floor, decided that it wasn’t worth it and climbed into bed with Andrew.

After a restless night, we had a nice pancake breakfast and continued to marvel at Manitoba’s ridiculous course sizes before climbing onto our 45-hour long train ride. We’ve been on the train for about 9 hours now, and it’s been surprisingly… well, not eventful, but not the long, boring experience we had expected. Playing cards and looking at pictures of polar bears in anticipation of the next week and a half have been keeping the group occupied, as has sleep. Sleep has been great. That, as well as watching people stumble along the train, have kept me quite amused, and excited for the days to come. –Victor Zhao ’13