To celebrate international Antarctica Day on December 1, researchers with the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a UK-US program studying Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, along with other Antarctic experts, organizedSkype conversations between polar researchers and elementary, middle and high school students. Gifford Middle School seventh grade science students, were selected to Skype with Sasha Leidman, a researcher at Rutgers University. Dr. Leidman’s research now focuses on
Greenland but, he did extensive work in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica.
To prepare for the conversation, students read about Dr. Leidman’s research and viewed video clips about his projects. Dr. Leidman also sent some photographs he took during his field work. Students wrote down questions they had about his research, glacial melting, wildlife encounters, what it was like to conduct research in these harsh climates, and what preparation they needed tobecome polar scientists. The students were mesmerized throughout the 50-minute conversation. Today, the world came to GMS!