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Iwas born and raised in Southern California, where my
idea of dressing for cold weather consisted of putting on long
pants. I never imagined I would spend 7 weeks working in an ice
desert and live to consider the possibility of returning someday.
But a string of serendipitous events caused me to participate in
Alert 2000, an international field campaign organized to
investigate the photochemistry of snow and ice during the arctic
spring in Alert, Nunavut, Canada, which is ~300 km south of the
North Pole. This experience not only generated exciting data, but
it also enhanced my professional and personal development.
Not only did my arctic experience make me a better scientist,
but it also made me a better person overall.
I became involved in Alert 2000 a mere 3 months before the
campaign began and only 10 months into my postdoctoral research
with Professor Barbara Finlayson-Pitts. A proposal we had
co-authored with Chet Spicer (Battelle, Columbus, Ohio) to directly
measure gaseous halogen concentrations by using atmospheric
pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry in the early
arctic spring was gratuitously funded at the eleventh hour, and
Finlayson-Pitts asked me to participate in the field work despite
the fact that I had no previous experience in field research. What
I lacked in practical experience was less important than my
preparation through previous laboratory training and my attitude.
My graduate work on the interactions of hydrogen halides with thin
ice films, and postdoctoral training in the monitoring of trace
mixing ratios of gaseous halogen compounds with APCI mass
spectrometry, provided me with the scientific background necessary
for the campaign. Moreover, my postdissertation euphoria heightened
my desire to submerge myself in a new area of research, so less
than a day after the initial offer, I signed on to Alert 2000 and
got ready to begin my adventure.
My arctic exposition came at a pivotal time in my career
development. I was conducting negotiations for an assistant
professor position that I had been offered in the department of
chemistry and biochemistry at California State University, Los
Angeles. But, understanding that it would permanently affect my
future career opportunities, before I could commit myself to taking
the position I needed to decide if this job was right for me. By
participating in Alert 2000 I removed myself from my comfort zone,
which allowed me to reflect on my personal values, needs, and
desires in preparation for the biggest career decision of my young
professional life.
My arctic experience was the equivalent to science boot camp,
with a rapid fire of data, dialogue, and decision-making that
supplemented my existing understanding of the art of practicing
good science. My self-reflection coupled with the intense
experience in scientific research helped me to define my career
goals, and by the time I got back I had accepted my current
position at California State.
Getting Ready ...
There is no such thing as too much preparation for a field
campaign, and with only 3 months to prepare, I had to work quickly.
As a petite, sun-worshipping California woman, my first order of
business was to select the clothing that would prevent me from
becoming a human Popsicle. After learning the basics of layering, I
held extensive interviews with female survivors of polar research,
who insured me that proper boots and gloves were the keys to
comfort. When the salesperson made it clear to me that the boots I
selected were too warm for shoveling snow at mid-latitudes, I
smiled because I knew then that my -40°C suit of armor was
complete.
Next up was equipment. Most of my preparation time was spent
characterizing spectra and calibrating mass spectrometers both at
the University of California, Irvine, and with Spicer at Battelle
in Columbus, Ohio. I needed to become an effective mass
spectrometer technician because I knew that site visits and
overnight delivery of spare parts would be out of the question.
Plus we'd have less than a week to install and calibrate the
instrument after bringing it to the site on a sled in the dark, so
I needed to be well prepared.
I also needed to do a lot of background reading. A successful
field campaign generates data quickly, and the results of initial
experiments often merit further investigation. As a novice to
arctic research, I spent hours absorbing literature on previous
studies so that I'd be ready to design impromptu experiments and
compose educated data interpretations without the convenience of a
library. The level of preparation I achieved for arctic research
facilitated my future development of laboratory experiments down
South.
In the Arctic
As an urban-dweller transplanted into the arctic wilderness, I
learned to see the beauty and power of nature that I had previously
overlooked. The study began in 24-hour darkness and ended with a
glorious sunrise. There were days when the red glow of the sun
would bounce across the horizon resulting in a perpetual sunrise. I
was humbled by the power of the sun in its absence and in its
return, and I was struck by the way the cycling effected the
emotions, behavior, and sleep patterns of the entire camp.
Understanding that a government-issue parka and snow pants were the
only things between me and hypothermia while watching shadows
resting on the contours of the snow, I felt as if I were walking on
the moon. The stillness, absolute power, and mystery of the Arctic
nurtured my desire to continually explore nature through chemical
research and to share my passion with others as an educator.
Participating in Alert 2000 breathed new life into my quest for
understanding through laboratory research. Before signing on to
Alert 2000, I was investigating heterogeneous reactions on sea-salt
ice and aerosols. I approached this work with moderate enthusiasm
that I derived from literature reviews suggesting that the work
facilitated our understanding of natural phenomena. In field
research there is little speculation as to how observations apply
to the natural world--you're out there observing it! Without
controlled laboratory experiments, however, elucidating chemical
mechanisms to explain fascinating field observations would be
impossible. The marriage between laboratory and field research was
made real to me through the science of Alert 2000. And after
measuring ambient bromine and bromochloride in the Arctic in
correlation with local ozone-depletion events, my laboratory
research developed a new fervor that is alive to this day.
Certainly, I no longer feel the need to justify my work to myself
and can focus on helping others understand the urgency of my
research. It is my hope that at least a fraction of my enthusiasm
reaches my students ... and prospective funding agencies.
As quiet as it is kept, a sense of vulnerability in the Arctic
is felt by all, especially during periods of continuous darkness.
Raw and possessed by the power of Earth's outer limits, the
intensity of human relationships in the Arctic is greatly amplified
relative to day-to-day interactions down South. Conversations with
near-strangers quickly dive into protected caverns of feeling,
values, and dreams as we touch one another's emotional selves and
wrestle unanswered questions such as the meaning of life. These
candid conversations gave me a unique perspective on what is most
important to people. They also fostered sustainable friendships and
made me a better colleague, teacher, wife, and daughter. Not only
did my arctic experience make me a better scientist, but it also
made me a better person overall. In-depth conversations with
academic, government, and private research institution
professionals helped me to see clearly my professional objectives
that fuel my journey as an assistant professor.
In closing, my participation in arctic research affected every
aspect of my professional and personal lives. Preparation,
performance, and analysis of the experiments I conducted during the
campaign supplemented my graduate experience and prepared me for a
career as an academic. The magnificence of the arctic wilderness
reminds me of the power of nature and it nurtures my enthusiasm to
explore its complexities through the chemical sciences. Finally,
the relationships I built with others helped me see myself and
develop career objectives that include spreading my enthusiasm for
chemistry and life through education and research. My experience in
arctic research was invaluable in my development as a science
professional. I am thankful to have had the privilege and courage
to participate. And I encourage others to face the challenge and
reap the benefits of polar research.
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