Antarctica

Written on March 26th, 2026 It makes sense that I’m making sense of things in the middle of the night. I am writing to you from the hotel lobby of a nice midtown hotel. A fellow musician friend clued me into this clean, quiet space where no one bats an eye at a woman with

I had opportunities to collaborate with artists on research projects I conducted in the United States, but never on an international expedition to Antarctica. As a polar plankton ecologist, I participated in six research expeditions to Antarctica and know how intense they can be. They are certainly not for everyone given the long working hours, sometimes cramped conditions, and tumultuous seas. In speaking with Kyra prior to the cruise, I could already tell she would be amenable to working in Antarctica.

As a science teacher, the first skill and corresponding rubric I introduce is Science and Engineering Practice (SEP) #1: Asking Scientific Questions. I won’t claim that this is the most important skill. There are amazing studies on the importance of awe and wonder, as well as the importance of analysis; we have all heard, “it’s

The weeks leading to my deployment to Antarctica were filled with waves of excitement, trepidation, and anxiety bordering on full-blown panic attacks. I had been dreaming of this opportunity for a long time, and it was coming at me at full speed. I had been to the High Arctic to do other artist residencies on