We're off to New Zealand!

Hello friends!

Thank you for checking in. We have taken the first step toward our 2011-2012 field season in Antarctica! In the coming days, I will organize last year's posts so they are more user-friendly for new readers. For now, I wanted to give you some quick facts about the field season to come. I'm currently in a Los Angeles-bound plane with two other members of our field team. We'll meet up with other members in the LA airport, and catch a New Zealand-bound flight. We'll spend two nights in Christchurch, New Zealand, where we'll collect Extreme Cold Weather gear (ECW) issued to us by the U.S. Antarctic program. We're scheduled to fly to McMurdo Station on December 1st, weather permitting. I'll keep you posted!


We have a new member of our field team this year, and five returning members. Meet the 2011-2012 team:

Our new member for 2011-12 is a PLU Geosciences major, Matthew Hegland. He hails from Minnesota, so he might find the temperatures in McMurdo quite balmy. He spent June 2011 in the Peruvian Andes!

We're happy our mountaineer extraordinaire, Chris Simmons, is returning this year. He's already on his way to Antarctica to get a head start on our preparations. Thanks Chris! Learn more about Chris' endless list of qualifications and adventures on his blog: climbskirun.blogspot.com.

Dr. Greg Balco, from Berkeley Geochronology Center, is returning for another season as our team lead. We can't wait to meet up with him in Los Angeles where we'll catch our long flight to Auckland, New Zealand. You can learn more about Greg and his accomplishments here.

Kat Huybers, a doctoral student from the University of Washington, is with us again this year! In addition to being an incredibly skilled numerical modeler, Kat also produces delicious camp baked goods, and is the best tentmate I could ask for! We're delighted Kat took time away from development of her numerical ice stream model to join us for another season. 

Seth Campbell is a doctoral student at the University of Maine, and leads the ice-penetrating radar component of our work. In addition to joining us last year, Seth was kind enough to collect radar data on Mount Rainier with me in May 2011. We're fired up to have Seth joining us again this year. Read more about Seth here.

Finally, there's me: Dr. Claire Todd, a professor of Geosciences and Environmental Studies at PLU, and co-lead on this project with Greg. Why this picture, you ask? Well, it's a nice indication of things to come. Also, I figure that if one is in the business of posting pictures of others, one should make sure that the most ridiculous picture is of oneself. This picture also features our favorite Pensacola Mountains alum, Michael Vermeulen who is in his final year at Pacific Lutheran University.  We'll miss you this year, Michael!

Thanks to you all for checking in! More in the coming days,


Claire