I am a graduate student in MIT's program for Computation for Design and Optimization (CDO). I do research with members of MIT's Program on Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate (PAOC) on the sensitivity of ice sheets/shelves to changes in forcing parameters, such as basal friction, surface topography, or temperature. This blog is to document my trip to Svalbard, Norway where I will participate in the 2011 International Polar Year Field School (IPY-FS) from June 18, 2011 to July 10, 2011.
IPY-FS is an interdisciplinary program for 25 students from 11 different countries. The students all have an interest in polar sciences and the course is designed to teach us about current research being done in arctic regions. There will be a wide array of subjects from polar ecology to glaciology and meteorology. Svalbard is an archipelago north of Norway. I will spend most of my time in Longyearbyen (about 78 degrees north), which is the largest settlement in Svalbard. The image on the left (from wikipedia) shows where Svalbard is in relation to mainland Norway.
The program begins in about one week, I am currently making last minute preparations. I leave from Boston on Saturday, June 18 and arrive in Longyearbyen on Sunday, June 19. I am excited to see where I will be spending the next three weeks and to meet my classmates. This will be a fascinating experience and an opportunity to learn about the wide array of problems being addressed by Arctic researchers.
I will do my best to provide daily updates about my life in Svalbard. I am looking forward to this experience and I am excited to share it.
Enjoy!
Andrew Davis
Big!
ReplyDeletePictures were very neat, just write if you get mauled by bears or the like
~nub
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeletePatrick sent me the link to your blog. You must be having an amazing and memorable time. Please let me know when you're back on campus so I can hear all about it in person.
--Laura