Antarctic

Brandon Gillette completed his undergraduate work at the University of Kansas in 2004 and his Masters of Education in 2006. For the past five years, he has taught junior high school and high school science in Olathe, Kansas. Mr. Gillette first worked with CReSIS in 2007-2008 as part of the PolarTREC program, partnering with scientists to spend five weeks in Antarctica as part of the Antarctica Ice Sheet Studies Expedition.

Mr. Gillette recently joined the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) and has returned to the University of Kansas as an education graduate research assistant where he has begun work on a PhD in geography and environmental science with an emphasis in GIS and remote sensing. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife and dog, traveling, and playing recreational sports, and will be running his first marathon in October 2010!

Dr. Leigh Stearns is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Kansas (KU) and CReSIS. She joined the KU faculty in 2009 after receiving her PhD at the University of Maine. Her research focus is on outlet glacier dynamics, which she studies by integrating remote sensing and field-based measurements into numerical models. In her spare time, she likes to bike, swim, walk her dog, garden, volunteer, and run!

Dr. Gordon Hamilton is an Associate Professor at the University of Maine in both the Department of Earth Sciences and the Climate Change Institute. His research is in ice sheet mass balance and the role ice sheets play in modulating global sea levels. This research involves field work in Greenland and Antarctica, using GPS to study ice flow dynamics and ground penetrating radar (GPR) to understand snow accumulation, as well as satellite remote sensing of both ice sheets and other glaciated regions. In his spare time, Gordon likes exploring the coast and mountains of Maine with his family and playing soccer. For more information, please visit Dr. Hamilton’s faculty page.

Dr. Kees van der Veen is a Professor in the Geography Department and with CReSIS, at the University of Kansas. His research interests are in the dynamics of tidewater glaciers, iceberg calving, and improving our current glacier flow models to capture the small- and large-scale changes in ice dynamics that are occurring in the polar regions. Dr. van der Veen will be in charge of developing the numerical models of Byrd Glacier in the Byrd Glacier Flow Dynamics project. In his spare time, he likes to show off his vintage Volkswagen in local parades and car shows!

Dr. Neal Iverson is a professor of glaciology, geomorphology, and engineering geology at Iowa State University. He strives to understand how glaciers move across rock and sediment and how they shape the landscape. For the past ten years, Dr. Iverson has travelled to Norway's Svartisen Glaciological Observatory, located in a tunnel cut underneath the Svartisen Ice Cap. Although it may not be the best work environment, he feels its "a great natural lab to study glaciers and glacier motion." To learn more about Dr. Iverson's scientific interests, please visit his faculty biography page (http://www.ge-at.iastate.edu/iverson.shtml).

Micheal Lampert grew up saving earthworms from sunny sidewalks, wondering about how water drops dance on hot skillets, puzzling over which color is at the top of a rainbow, and trying to build perpetual energy machines with Lego's. His love of physics and science led him to become a physics teacher at West Salem High School in Salem, Oregon. As a teacher of over twenty years he has continually tried to bring the excitement of science research to his students.

In the classroom, Mr. Lampert's students have learned about science using exciting hands-on instruction and have been highly successful in national contests. Photos of his students line the wall with their successes and humorous follies. He loves art and integrates it into his lessons whenever possible. Mr. Lampert's ultimate goal is to enthuse a generation of students to pursue science as a life-long career.

His fascination with the Polar Regions began many years ago, with a play on Antarctica his mother took him to. From that day on he was hooked on the adventures of Scott, Schackleton, and Amundsen and he has previously studied ozone depletion while based in McMurdo Station. He is thrilled to continue connecting science with the community through PolarTREC.

Lesley Urasky's love of nature began when her parents took her into the mountains when she was just six days old! Since then, she has received a bachelor's and a master's degree in Geology from the University of Wyoming and has spent time working in the oil, gas, and mining industries in the Rocky Mountain region. Ms. Urasky currently teaches science at Rawlins High School, in Rawlins, Wyoming. Throughout her 12 years of teaching she has taught numerous subjects, including geology, astronomy, and AP Biology to name a few. She has also been an adjunct faculty member in Geology at both the community college and university levels.

While teaching in Texas, she and five of her students were selected to participate in NOAA's First Student Summit on Ocean Issues in Washington, D.C, presenting their plan to mitigate estuary degradation in Texas to various federal agencies and National Geographic. It was here, that she met Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic's Explorer-in-Residence, who remains a motivating figure in her desire to study our planet's natural resources. Ms. Urasky hopes that her experience with PolarTREC will help show her students that science is an adventure that can take you to new and exciting places both physically and intellectually.

In her free time, she enjoys whitewater rafting, camping & hiking, snowshoeing, and traveling to exotic places.

Dr. John Stone is a geologist with a particular interest in cosmic-ray-produced nuclides, or very small particles which come to earth from outer space. Working with students and collaborators, he is involved in several projects in Antarctica aimed at dating and understanding the history and changes in the glacial landscape. Other projects Dr. Stone is involved in strive to understand ancient landscapes in Australian, South America, the U.S. Pacific northwest, and Britain. To learn more about Dr. Stone's scientific interests, please visit his faculty biography page (http://depts.washington.edu/cosmolab/people.html).

Dr. Howard Conway is a research professor in the Department of Earth & Space Sciences at the University of Washington. Hi scientific interests lie in glacier and ice sheet history, as well as snow avalanches. His research focuses on observing and modeling physical processes in snow covered regions, their impacts on society, and their response to the changing environment.

Dr. Brenda Hall is an Associate Professor of Glacial and Quaternary Studies at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute. Her research interests are in understanding the stability of ice sheets and the causes of ice ages and rapid climate changes. Dr. Hall has spent several seasons in Antarctica, and at present, has research projects in the Antarctic, South America, and Greenland.

Dr. Jim Madsen has been at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) since 1989, and is currently a professor of physics and chair of the Physics Department. He has been involved with the IceCube project and its predecessor, AMANDA (Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array), for about a decade. Dr. Madsen’s original contribution to the project was to investigate the performance of the IceCube neutrino telescope using computer simulations. More recently, he has been working on the surface detectors, which form an array at the South Pole known as IceTop. In addition to the research, Dr. Madsen does education and outreach for the IceCube project including professional development courses for teachers and science and math instruction for the UWRF Upward Bound Program. His research interests include condensed matter and astrophysics, and he has worked with numerous undergraduate students and teachers on his various projects in Antarctica.

Katey Shirey grew up loving physics and art and, as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, she continually combined her two passions. She attempted to explain physics and physical phenomenon through large-scale kinetic sculptures and installations. Today Miss Shirey continues to examine the relationship of Physics to various aspects of the world around her through teaching and facilitating student learning at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia. She is excited to examine what scientists do and how science conducted far away impacts our understanding of the universe, and sees this as an ideal way to draw connections between physics to students' lives.

Growing up on the shores of Hawaii, Anne Marie Wotkyns shared the company of her first, and most memorable science teacher, her grandfather—a sailor, diver, fisherman, and oceanographer—who loved to share his experiences with others. Now Ms. Wotkyns strives to share the wonders of the world with her students at J. B. Monlux Magnet Elementary School using a variety of creative, hands-on activities in her classroom, including raising trout from eggs, creating games using magnets, growing vegetables in a class garden, singing about science concepts, and building an inflatable planetarium.

Anne Marie was named a Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2006, received the Steve Allen Excellence in Education Award in 2007, and renewed her National Board Certificate in 2008. She earned her B.S. in Communication Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her M. Ed and teaching credential from the University of California, Los Angeles. In her free time, Anne Marie enjoys horseback riding, golfing, snow skiing, scuba diving, and traveling.

Stephen Ackley is a research associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and has worked and conducted sea-ice research in Antarctica for more than 30 years. He previously worked with the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) and then joined the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Texas San Antonio in 2006. Ackley Point in Antarctica was named to honor Ackley for his outstanding sea-ice work by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Ackley Point is an ice covered point located near McMurdo Sound.

Dr. Patricia (Tish) Yager is an associate professor in marine sciences at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include biological and and chemical oceanography, with a particular interest in the relationship between the changing climate and the marine ecosystem. She has spent several seasons woking in Antarctica, and also studies microbial communities in the Amazon River. To learn more about Dr. Yager, please visit her faculty biography page (http://www.marsci.uga.edu/directory/pyager.htm).

Dr. Blake Weissling is a research assistant professor at the University of Texas San Antonio Department of Geological Sciences.

Tina Sander is living her dreams. Based in beautiful Santa Cruz, California, she has been teaching English Composition for Cabrillo College and English as a Second Language and computer skills at the Santa Cruz Adult School since 2003. She loves the balance of helping college students develop their critical thinking and writing skills, guiding adults of all ages through the wonderful, though sometimes intimidating, world of technology, and working with non-native English speakers to develop their proficiency with both computers and the English language.

Herself an immigrant from Germany, Ms. Sander has traveled and lived in many parts of the world. Besides teaching, which she started in 1999, she jumps in the ocean to play with the waves, hops on a bike to explore the mountains, and does yoga and rock climbing to stay flexible and strong. Ms. Sander is overjoyed to be part of PolarTREC and hopes to not only share the experience with many people but also to spark their passion for exploring and learning so that they too may find and follow their dreams.

Dr. Stacy Kim is a research professor at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and began working in the Antarctic in 1988. Her prior work has focussed on human impacts and developing technology, with the larger goal of understanding a relatively undisturbed ecosystem--the Antarctic seafloor. Stacy will be the coordinator and lead diver for the 2010 IceAged project. To learn more about Dr. Kim’s scientific interests, please visit her faculty biography page (http://www.mlml.calstate.edu/faculty/stacy-kim/).

Bob Zook is an engineer with Coastal Conservation and Research, Inc. Mr. Zook first worked as a logistics support contractor in Antarctica in 1997, but now works in Antarctic research. Mr. Zook is the chief engineer that designed and developed the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) called SCINI (Submersible Capable of Under Ice Navigation and Imaging). The SCINI ROV will be used in 2010 on the IceAged project. He is also working with the ANDRILL (http://www.andrill.org/) project in Antarctica to develop an ROV that can dive deeper.

Learn more about any of the IceAged team members at their project website (http://iceaged2010.mlml.calstate.edu/people/). Dr. John Oliver is a research professor at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. He studies the disturbance of marine benthic environments, coastal areas, and places where human activities have significant impacts on habitats. Dr. Oliver is also interested in watershed and ecosystem restoration. He has a long history of Antarctic research in soft ocean floor habitats, and is interested in long term patterns of community change. He is a diver and leader in the 2010 IceAged project.To learn more about Dr. Oliver's scientific interests, please visit his faculty biography page (http://www.mlml.calstate.edu/faculty/john-oliver).

Kevin O'Connor recently completed his Masters degree in Biology at San Diego State University is now a project manager at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. He is making his first trip to the Antarctic in October 2010, and he will be a diver on the 2010 IceAged project.

Dr. Paul Dayton is a professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and he began working in Antarctica in 1963. Dr. Dayton's researchinterests include benthic ecology; marine conservation and policy, evolution and natural history, and general ecology. He has a lot of experience studying the Antarctic marine ecosystems, and his experience will guide the IceAged project.

DJ Osborne is an engineer/pilot at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and he has worked in Antarctica since 1996. Mr. Osborne will be leading the remotely operated vehicle work that is part of the 2010 IceAged project.

Jennifer Fisher is a research technician and larval ecologist at Oregon State University. She has worked in Antarctic, at McMurdo Station in 2003 and 2004 and will return with the IceAged project in 2010 as a driller and diver.

Julie Barber is a shellfish biologist for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. This will be her first trip to Antarctica, and she will be a diver on the IceAged project in 2010. In addition, Julie will be helping with education and outreach related to the project.

David Burnett is an electrical engineer with Sandia National Labs, on loan to our project. He will be piloting the ROV, fixing things that get broken, and this will be his first time in Antarctica.

Jim Pottinger’s interest in science began as a young child when he was given the supervised and unsupervised time to experiment with science kits and everyday household items (some explosive, some not!). His passion to study science was passed on to him by great educators during his scholarly journey, from elementary and high school in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania to undergrad at California University of Pennsylvania and eventually as a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh studying beach ridges on St. Catherine’s Island. Today, Mr. Pottinger strives to inspire his students and community to embrace all that science has to offer.

Currently, Mr. Pottinger lives, works, and plays in Southwestern Pennsylvania where he works with gifted students at Gateway School District as a resource teacher and instructs astronomy students online and face-to-face at Westmoreland County Community College. He personally enjoys engineering, geology, and being an eternal student. Jim is currently completing his EdD in Educational Technology Management at Northcentral University with plans of being more involved with educational outreach through the use of technology. He enjoys alpine skiing, mountain biking, and being outdoors with his wife and three children.

Mr. Pottinger enjoys teaching because it involves the opportunity to engage fresh minds and the opportunity to share his excitement and passion about science with others. He hopes that being involved with PolarTREC will inspire other teachers and students to become stewards of the earth by getting involved in projects from the smallest level like recycling at home to larger levels such as being involved in a sustainability group in their communities.

Dr. Konrad Steffen is a professor of geography and the Director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research interests lie in the interactions between climate and snow and ice covered regions, in particular changes in ice sheets and sea level. Dr. Steffen has spent over thirty years conducting research in the arctic, much of which is in Greenland. To learn more about Dr. Steffen, please visit his faculty biography page (http://cires.colorado.edu/people/steffen/).

Nicolas (Nikko) Bayou is a PhD graduate student in Geography at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Mr. Bayou's bachelor's degree is in Science, and he has a masters degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. His science and engineering experiences include modelling aircraft engines, analyzing flight/ground tests with Airbus, and serving as project lead for a business jet engines advance project. Mr. Bayou also co-designed the hull of the Italian team yacht for the America's Cup, an international boat race. Currently he is processing Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) automatic weather station data in preparation for his thesis.

Josh Dugat's scientific inquiry began at an early age in central Texas. Inadvertent experiments testing which of the trees on his family's ranch were poison oak or sumac often ended rashly, but led to many years of outdoor exploration, culminating in a degree from the University of Virginia in Environmental Science and Poetry Writing.

Mr. Dugat's love of learning led him to the Crescent City where he currently teaches science to high school scholars at Success at Schwarz Academy. The tenacity and creativity of his students make him excited to come to work each day, and honored to be their ambassador to the Arctic through PolarTREC. He is enthusiastic to explore ecological change as it relates to climate change, and cannot wait to draw parallels between Barrow, Alaska and the Bayou of Louisiana.

Dr. Anna Klene is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Montana. She has been going to the North Slope of Alaska since 1996 to study the interactions between permafrost and climate. Dr. Klene and her students have been working in alpine regions as well, particularly in the northern Rockies.  She is also coordinating the Geographic Information Sciences and Technologies Certificate program at the University of Montana.

Dr. Frederick Nelson is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware. Dr. Nelson has been doing research on periglacial geomorphology in northern Alaska for over thirty years. Recently he has been studying the history of science, with an emphasis on Arctic research.

Dr. Nikolay Shiklomanov is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at George Washington University. He is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. Dr. Shiklomanov is currently directing the Circumpolar Active-Layer Monitoring Project. This program coordinates the data gathered at 168 sites in 14 countries in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Dimitry Streletskiy is a Post Doc in the Department of Geography at GWU. He is originally from Moscow, Russia. Dr. Streletskiy is working for the Circumpolar Active-Layer Monitoring Project.

Bill Schmoker is an Earth Science teacher at Centennial Middle School in Boulder, Colorado. He holds a Secondary Earth Science Education degree from the University of Northern Colorado, a master's degree in Secondary Science Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and has been teaching for 17 years. Additionally, Mr. Schmoker works with pre-service teachers, is a member of Centennial's Technology Committee, has authored, edited, and consulted on many Earth Science Education products, and has held many leadership roles at the building and district levels throughout his career.

Mr. Schmoker is also passionate about birding and bird photography. For several summers he has conducted bird monitoring transects for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. He has been an instructor for the American Birding Association's Youth Birding Program and for their Institute for Field Ornithology. Bill has photographed over 600 species of North American Birds, and his photos appear internationally in numerous books, magazines, web sites, and interpretive signage. When not teaching or birding Bill treasures time in his gardens and with his family.

Helen Gibbons is a public information scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, California. Ms. Gibbons works with USGS scientists around the country to publish informative articles about their coastal and ocean research in the monthly newsletter Sound Waves (http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/). She also helps researchers create written materials, displays, and hands-on activities for members of the general public interested in USGS science. She is looking forward to sharing ideas with the two teachers participating in the August 2010 Canada-U.S. joint Arctic expedition. Helen will serve as web coordinator for logs and images posted at the Continental Shelf Project Website (http://continentalshelf.gov/) before and during the expedition.

Jonathan Childs is a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, California. Mr. Childs scientific interests include using seismic reflection data to study and map the seafloor and studying the unique laws of the worlds oceans.

Brian is a sedimentologist with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center who will serve as Chief Scientist aboard Healy during the joint U.S.-Canada extended-continental-shelf survey in August. He brings to the job more than 30 years of sea-going experience on 60-plus coring and geophysical cruises along the west coast of the United States, the Ross Sea (Antarctica), the North Pacific Ocean, and the Bering Sea. Brian specializes in sedimentary processes and stratigraphy, integrating insights gleaned from seafloor rock and sediment samples with information from remote-mapping products, such as close-up photographs of the seafloor, high-resolution bathymetric maps, and seismic-reflection profiles (sound "slices" through the seafloor that create an image like rocks exposed on the walls of the Grand Canyon). His recent studies have focused on how sediment moves from the land to the deep sea, processes controlling submarine landslides, saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifer systems, marine pollution, and seafloor habitats.