Thursday, November 15, 2012

Antarctica 2012

On my trip to Antarctica in February 2012. I was surprised about how impressed I was with eco-tourism. Mainly due to the fact that the research suggests that eco-tourism has a smaller impact on the pristine environment than research does

Even though we were all there as tourists, we were also being made aware of some nice science. The program was fantastic from a science awareness point of view. There were talks on the different types of animals and places we’d see, we visited research station (including the one where the Ozon layer was discovered, Vernadsky station)

I even got a chance to try my hand at some Antarctic Physics communication. On a few occasions I got out the Galileoscope that I’d borrowed from a colleague, as well as my ham radio. I got a few weird looks and ‘please explain’s, but I was simply not going to pass up the opportunity to try and see some stars from Antarctica, or try and talk to some nearby research stations. 

The whole deal was a semi Science Communication exercise, without really trying to be, which is the best kind!