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International Polar Year Antarctica University Expedition 2009 - In Partnership with Students On Ice Expeditions.
About the Education Program
IPY Antarctic University Expedition: February 13-28, 2009
On expedition, several different learning formats are used. These learning formats include: lectures, workshops and hands-on activities that will be shore, Zodiac, and ship-based in setting. We also incorporate small group discussion and reflection opportunities into our days through 'pod teams.' Each participating student will have enrolled in one of the credit-courses being offered in conjunction with the IPY University Antarctica Expedition. Each of these courses will come with their own specific pre-expedition, expedition, and post-expedition requirements and activities. See information on Credit Courses below.
Educational Philosophy
Students on Ice and the IPY University Antarctica program partners believe in providing University student participants with a unique educational experience that will challenge the way in which they perceive the world. Our aim is not to simply provide students with a ‘trip’ to a unique destination but rather to give students an opportunity to have an aesthetic experience in some of the most wild and awe-inspiring ecosystems in the world. We do not want students to just pass through a place with camera in hand, but rather to listen to the land; to ‘feel’ these natural places and in turn, explore how we as humans feel when immersed in such places. Ultimately, our goal is for students to experience a transformative connection with Nature – a connection that changes the way they understand and act in this world.
EXPERIENCE | UNDERSTANDING | TRANSFORMATION | ACTION | CHANGE
Educational Approach
Our approach to education weaves together elements of experiential,
expeditionary, and problem-based learning. In starting with a very ‘hands-on’ approach,
active participation and critical thinking are important elements in
the SOI learning process. Through posing questions, experimenting and
constructing meaning, the learning becomes personal, relational and exploratory
in nature. Our expedition will become a symbolic learning journey from
the initial development of ideas, to addressing problems and possible
solutions, to final reflections. We recognize that the journey will be
unique for each student, as will the manner in which each student effects
positive change in his/her individual life following the expedition.
Educational Format
There will be a general education program for all participating students. The following are some examples of the lectures, workshops, hands-on activities and topics that will take place on the expedition:
i) Lectures:
- Geological, political, and cultural history of the region
- Terrestrial ecology
- Marine Biology-from micro-organisms to cetaceans
- Seabirds
- Ice and glaciology
- Oceanography
- History of exploration in the region
- Environmental issues facing the region
ii) Worksops and Hands-On Activities (on-ship, on-shore):
- Wildlife identification and observation
- Working with education team members on ongoing scientific research (i.e., seabird surveys, measuring pollution levels in ice-core samples, plankton tows focusing on marine diversity)
- Nature interpretation through various activities (i.e., photography, art, journal writing, music)
- Technology and Nature (i.e., cetacean vocalization, GIS mapping)
- Youth forums on leadership and steps towards sustainable living
- Hiking and shore walks
- Ecological footprint, expedition footprint
- Pod Teams (small groups of 10-12 students and educator)
iii) Peer teaching seminars:
- Reflection on expedition experiences through journaling, dialogue
- Mentored discussions aligning educators with students’ interests
A combination of the above learning formats are used on each day throughout our expedition.
The educational benefits of the IPY Antarctic University Expedition 2009 will be shared with thousands of youth and the general public around the world via live video-conferencing, the expedition website, presentations, media attention and conferences. Partnerships with schools and other educational organizations will bring the expedition directly to classrooms around the world
Educational Theme: Environmental Leadership
Woven into the expedition is our overarching theme: Environmental Leadership. The world is a global ecosystem in which all natural and human systems are interconnected. Humans are part of nature and bound by the laws of the natural world. However, in today’s mechanistic, consumer-oriented world our lifestyles have led to a disconnection with nature. We are often unaware or apathetic to where our most basic needs come from – food, clothing, shelter. Our over consumptive practices have led to resource depletion, atmospheric pollution, diminishing biodiversity, and most commonly discussed in the media, climate change. As a global society, we need to move towards living more sustainably. Today’s youth have the opportunity to lead the way.
From an environment perspective, we focus our expeditions’ lectures,
discussions, and activities on current environmental issues facing the
regions we are travelling through. Climate change is a particular focus
on all our expeditions.
From a leadership perspective, we will explore how youth are effective agents of change and how their efforts contribute to positive societal action. Youth have an opportunity to establish sustainable livelihoods and make informed ecological-based choices early in their lives. The choices they make have a ripple effect and the actions youth take make a difference. In developing the leadership component of our expedition’s theme we facilitate ongoing group discussions on ways to get involved in environmental initiatives upon returning home.
Our theme of ‘Environmental Leadership’ weaves itself through our education program in conjunction with our ongoing exploration of the history, culture, general science, and politics of our place of travel.
Credit Courses
- Undergraduate students and graduate students from Canadian and international Universities may choose to register in one of several University courses while they participate in the expedition.
- Time on the ship will be divided between:
(a) general lectures and activities that all students will undertake together to provide a general background to Antarctica; and
(b) specialized workshops, research and activities focused on the topics outlined below, and led by the individual professor in charge of each course. .
Current partner Universities and courses offered include:
University of Alberta:
EAS429 - Practical Study in Earth and Atmospheric Science
Professor: Dr. Marianne Douglas - Intensive field or practical study in Earth and Atmospheric Science (EAS), typically as part of a team working off-campus. Details and areas of study may vary from year to year; consult the department about current offerings, fees and timing. In 2009, the field course will take place in and around the Antarctica Peninsula, focusing on high latitude environmental change and the associated biological and physical changes. Prerequisite: Any 300-level EAS course and permission of the instructor. Requires payment of additional student instructional support fees.
University of Northern British Columbia:
ORTM433 - Antarctic Tourism: Examining impacts and management in practice
Professor: Dr. Pat Maher - An in-depth examination of the environmental, social and economic impacts of Antarctic tourism, as well as the current strategies and future scenarios used to manage the industry. No prerequisites required.
University of Ottawa:
GEG4100 - Glaciology
Professor: Dr. Luke Copland - An introduction to Glaciology, with a particular focus on Antarctica. Includes discussion of ice dynamics, ice streams, snow pack processes, icebergs, sea ice, ice shelves and subglacial lakes. Prerequisite: see below.
Prerequisites:
In order for students to benefit the most from their Antarctic experience, all students enrolling in one of the University credit-courses being offered in conjunction with the expedition must take, or be currently enrolled in, a regular lecture course related to the polar regions prior to their joining the ship. For students who need to take such a class, options are:
1. University of Alberta EAS458: Cold Regions Geoscience (Offered Fall 2008)
Antarctica: A review of the unique environments of the only continent reserved exclusively for scientific exploration. Exploration; evolution and role of the Antarctic Treaty System; the evolution of Southern Ocean circulation and Antarctic climate; geology and tectonic evolution; climate and glacial history; the Antarctic Ice Sheet, subglacial lakes, ice shelves, and associated microbial systems and biogeochemistry. Opportunities to participate in field study in Antarctica may be available.
Prerequisite: EAS225 or 250 or permission of the instructors. [Faculty of Science]
Offered MWF 11:00 – 11:50 Fall Term. NB: This course will be taught in a smart classroom with video-conferencing capacity. Students based outside of Edmonton can therefore take this class via distance learning, provided that they arrange for an appropriate smart classroom at their home institution.
2. University of Ottawa GEG4103: Cold Regions Hydrology (Offered Winter 2009)
Role of hydrology in cold regions, with a particular focus on Northern Canada. Discussion of the hydrological processes and features associated with sea ice, river ice, lake ice, icebergs, glaciers, snow and permafrost.
3. University of Ottawa GEG4126: Applications of Remote Sensing in the Polar Regions (Offered Winter 2009) Discussion of the current impacts of climate change in the polar regions, with a focus on the practical applications of remote sensing to measure and determine these changes. Includes review of the results from optical, radar, gravity and altimetry satellites (e.g., ASTER, Radarsat, ERS, GRACE, MODIS, Landsat, IceSAT).
Enrolment:
Once your application to join the expedition has been approved, and you have paid the first deposit (see "Expedition Fees" below), please contact the following if you are interested in enrolling in your chosen course(s):
1. University of Alberta:
Prerequisite course: If you are already enrolled as a student at UAlberta, you can enroll online for the EAS458. If you are NOT a University of Alberta student, then in order to enroll, you must enroll for the course(s) and make the appropriate payment. You'll have to do so via the on-line services at UAlberta: http://registrar.ualberta.ca and register for the course via the "Open studies" option (i.e. there won't be a particular faculty association). Once you open that web page, select the left-hand menu's third option from the bottom, i.e., "on line" and then select "application/reapplication for admission" option. From there you can continue through the process to register as an "Open Studies" student. Once you have successfully done that, then you need to notify Earth and Atmospheric Sciences' Undergraduate Program Administrator, Fran Metcalfe Fran.Metcalfe@ualberta.ca so as to complete the registration for the course. Refer to the Fees Payment Guide in the University Regulations and Information for Students section of the Calendar (Faculty of Science). More information: http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/ro.cfm?id=1
Onboard course: Contact Dr. Marianne Douglas (marianne.douglas@ualberta.ca) for further information on how to enroll in EAS429, the onboard field course that will be offered for credit on the ship.
2. University of Northern British Columbia:
Onboard course: Contact Dr. Patrick Maher (maherp@unbc.ca) for further information on how to enroll in ORTM433, the onboard field course that will be offered for credit on the ship.
3. University of Ottawa:
Prerequisitie courses: If you are already enrolled as a student at the University of Ottawa, you can enroll online through Rabaska for either of the prerequisite classes. If you are not currently enrolled at uOttawa, please contact Sylvie Thériault, the academic assistant in the Department of Geography (stheriau@uottawa.ca).
Onboard ccourse: You will be contacted by Sylvie Thériault directly to confirm your registration if you selected GEG4100 as the class that you would like to take onboard the ship. Any questions can also be directed to the professor in charge of the class, Dr. Luke Copland (luke.copland@uottawa.ca).
NB: students will be required to pay regular tuition fees to enroll in uOttawa courses (which may be higher for international students). More information:
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/info/regist/fees/fees2007_en.htm
Education Team
Geoff Green
Expedition Leader
Canadian adventurer, environmentalist and educator Geoff Green has been leading expeditions and adventures from pole to pole for the past fifteen years. Many notable organizations such as the Discovery Channel, World Wildlife Fund, National Audubon Society and the Smithsonian Institution enlist Geoff to lead their groups into the world’s most remote and exciting regions.
In 2005, he received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress for his work with youth and the environment. He was also voted one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” – an annual national prize event saluting Canada’s top young leaders. In 2004, Outpost Magazine chose Geoff as one of the “Top 5 Canadian Explorers” to watch. In 2007, Geoff and the Students on Ice program received the prestigious Explorer’s Club Citation of Merit.
Geoff is the founder and Executive Director of Students on Ice Expeditions, an award-winning educational organization based in Gatineau, Québec, Canada. The program – now in its eighth year – has taken over 800 students, teachers and scientists from around the world on expeditions to both the Arctic and the Antarctic. The goal of this unique project is to give the world’s youth a heightened understanding and respect for the planet’s global ecosystem, and the inspiration to protect it.
As expedition leader, Geoff is a veteran of 74 Antarctic expeditions and 30 Arctic expeditions.
Luke Copland, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography,
University of Ottawa
Luke Copland’s research focuses on improving our understanding of glacier dynamics and recent changes of ice masses, and their links to climate variability. He uses both satellite image analysis and fieldwork to make these measurements, and in recent years he has undertaken fieldwork in the Canadian High Arctic, Karakoram Himalaya, Antarctic, and European Alps. He also leads an annual University of Ottawa, Department of Geography glaciological fieldtrip to the Mt. St. Elias Icefield in Kluane National Park, Yukon.
Luke Copland was recently awarded a Canadian Foundation for Innovation award to develop a new ‘Laboratory for Cryospheric Research’ in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Geography. This lab will house a suite of new computers, GIS and satellite image analysis software, together with a range of field equipment such as differential GPS units and ground-penetrating radar systems.
Marianne Douglas, Ph.D.
Director, Canadian Circumpolar Institute
Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences,
University
of Alberta
Marianne Douglas has spent the past two decades conducting research on global environmental change. A professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, she is also the director of the Canadian Circumpolar Institute. Although the focus of her research has been in the Canadian Arctic Islands, she also spends time in Antarctica and has completed field seasons in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica as well as on Livingston Island off the NW tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. She has also worked on board ship-based expeditions as a lecturer around the Antarctic Peninsula. She and her students use paleolimnology, i.e., the study of lake sediments, to reconstruct past environmental baseline conditions. Sediments are akin to an archive as they preserve a variety of microfossils and other proxy indicators of past environmental conditions. Only by understanding the natural variability of a region can one decipher the nature and degree of ongoing change. She and her research team have been documenting the effects of global warming in the Arctic as well as the effects human activities are having on the environment.
Marianne completed her University education at Queen’s University, followed by a research associate position at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst Massachusetts. Prior to joining the University of Alberta in September 2006, Marianne spent 10 years as a professor in the Geology Department at the University of Toronto. She strongly believes that knowledge gained first hand, such as by visiting the circumpolar regions, is the more useful and effective base for education.
Eric Galbraith, Ph.D.
Oceanographer & Earth Science Researcher, Princeton University
A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Eric worked as a geologist in South America and the Canadian Arctic before becoming an oceanographer. His research looks at how global ocean circulation interacts with the rest of the climate system, what this means for marine life, and how the ocean will respond to future climate change. He has lectured aboard cruises throughout the North Atlantic, and in both the Arctic and the Antarctic. He is currently a research associate at Princeton University.
Santiago Imberti
Ornithologist
Santiago was born and raised in Patagonia, which meant that wilderness was only a short step from his front door. A long lasting love for nature was the logical consequence of the years lived there. He obtained a degree in tourism and ornithology, which allowed him to combine his love for nature and the outdoors with his work as a bird-watching, fly-fishing mountain guide. During the off-season Santiago continues his ornithology research focusing his attention on the birds of Patagonia and Bolivia. He also uses this time as an opportunity to travel around the world bush walking and birding, studying different bird communities and their surrounding environments. Santiago photographs and writes about the places he visits and his experiences as a guide, trying to convey in words and pictures some sense of the magic of nature. He has traveled to Antarctic many times. His articles and stories have been published in scientific journals and popular travel magazines.
Patrick Maher, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Outdoor Recreation & Tourism Management Program,
University of Northern British Columbia
Pat Maher's research focuses on the management of tourism and outdoor recreation in remote regions and the meanings visitors derive from those types of experiences. In recent years he has undertaken projects in the Yukon, Nunavut, Labrador, Norway, Iceland, Haida Gwaii, sub-Antarctic New Zealand, and the Antarctic (Peninsula and the Ross Sea region). Recent university field programs he has led include a month on the Athabasca River (as part of a four month personal expedition to the Arctic Ocean), a month on the Stikine River, and three weeks throughout northern/coastal BC.
Pat held a Commonwealth Scholarship and a New Zealand Post/Antarctica New Zealand Research Scholarship for his doctoral work in the Ross Sea region; he is an international fellow of the Explorers Club and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; and recently received a UNBC Excellence in Teaching Award as a result of his 2007 field school on the Stikine River.
Scobie Pye
Polar Scientist & Historian
‘Scobie’ Pye is a research scientist with a Masters of Science degree from the University of Tasmania, Australia. Over the past 30 years much of his life has been spent in southern latitudes working with the British Antarctic Survey, and the Australian Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania. He has spent four winters and seven summers on the island of South Georgia, two summers on the floating ice shelf station of Halley Bay in the Weddell Sea and two winters and nine summers on Australia’s Macquarie Island. Scobie’s main scientific interests are focused on the conservation and management of Polar Regions. He has worked and traveled extensively in the northern latitudes. In 1978, Scobie was awarded the Fuchs Medal for outstanding service to the British Antarctic Survey.
Fred Roots, Ph.D.
Expert in Polar issues & Science Advisor Emeritus
Dr. Roots is Science Advisor Emeritus to Environment Canada. He graduated in geological engineering at the University of British Columbia, and received his PhD in geology from Princeton University. He was senior geologist in the first international scientific study of Antarctica, the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1949-52: co-leader of Operation Franklin, the major study that established the petroleum potential of the Canadian arctic Islands in 1955; and leader of Operation Stikine 1956 and 1958, the first integrated geological study of the Canadian northern Cordillera. In 1958 he organized the Polar Continental Shelf Project and served as its coordinator until 1971. From 1968 he became involved in discussions of the environmental responsibilities of the Canadian government, which led to the organization of the Department of the Environment. In 1971 he was appointed Advisor, Environmental and Northern Programmes, Department of the Energy Mines and Resources, and in 1973 he became Science Advisor to the Department of the Environment, and served in that capacity until becoming Science Advisor Emeritus in 1989.
Dr. Roots has been active in a number of international and non-governmental scientific and environmental activities and researchers. He was a member of the Polar Research Board of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences 1970-83 and subsequently on several of its technical committees. From 1979 to 1983 he was President of the International Commission on Snow and ice, served on the Science Advisory Board of the Geophysical Institute University of Alaska 1976-88 (Chairman 1980-84). He was a founder of the International Arctic Science Committee and served as its first President (1991-94) and since 1983 has been chairman of the Northern Sciences Network of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. He is author of over 250 scientific papers and published reports on Polar, environmental and global change subjects. Dr. Roots has a mountain range in Antarctic named after him. His many awards include the Gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society.
Belinda Sawyer
Polar Educator
New Zealander Belinda Sawyer has extensive experience planning, organizing and leading expeditions to the world’s far-flung outposts. Belinda is a certified ship’s master, dive master, and has led many expeditions to the Antarctic continent and to extreme depth sites such as the RMS Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck. She is one of world’s deepest diving females having completed a dive to 16,500 ft. in 2005.
Belinda has spent 11 seasons in Antarctica in a wide range of capacities including guide, naturalist, lecturer, environmental officer, logistics & safety specialist. She also promotes exploration and sustainable management of the world oceans through various education institutes.
Don Walsh, Ph.D.
Oceanographer
Don Walsh is an explorer, oceanographer and lecturer. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1948, he graduated from Annapolis in 1954. During a 24 year naval career he spent 14 years at sea, mostly in submarines including command. At retirement he held the rank of Captain. Walsh’s polar experience began with trips to the Arctic in 1955 and the Antarctic with the Navy’s Deep Freeze in 1971. He has worked at both North and South Poles and is eligible to wear the Antarctic Service Medal. The Walsh Spur (near Cape Hallett) was named for him in recognition of his contributions to the U.S. Antarctic Research Program.
Don may be best known for making oceanographic history in 1960 with Jacques Piccard when they dove 35,800 feet down in the Navy Bathyscaph Trieste to the bottom of the Marianas Trench, deepest place in the world ocean. For this historic descent, never duplicated since, Walsh was decorated by President Eisenhower at the White House.
Don is the Author of over 150 articles and papers, and has been an advisor for the White House, NOAA and NASA. He was appointed by Presidents Carter and Reagan to the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere, was a member of the Law of the Sea Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of State, and served as a member of the Marine Board of the U.S. National Research Council from 1990 to 1993. In 2001 received the Explorers Club highest award, The Explorer’s Medal.