Dal student joins team of 70 on research expedition to the South Pole
To many, vacation is a time to relax: to sleep, watch inordinate amounts of Netflix and gorge yourself on deliciously fatty foods.
This may be the case for much of the Dalhousie population, but not for Jasveen Brar. Brar’s will spend the break traveling to Antarctica.
As thousands across the country eat turkey and drink too much eggnog on Christmas Day, Brar will leave behind her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta and fly to Toronto.
From there she will fly to Miami, then Buenos Aires, and then board a ship to Antarctica.
The trip is organized by Students on Ice, and brings a group of 70 students from around the world to spend two weeks in the South Pole.
Brar, a second-year biology student at Dal, will be joining a group of artists, scientists and students from a variety of different fields.
The wide range of students allows for many levels of interest and experience to be added to the group.
“Each person is bringing something new to this trip. I am interested in microbiology, which is what my research focuses on. I think that is a big part of why I got in,” says Brar.
Brar has studied waterborne parasites since 2011, and has competed in many Canada-wide science fairs. Antarctica will provide her with an entirely new field of study to examine and observe.
“I feel like Antarctica and the Arctic are beacons and indicators in terms of global warming. It’s such a pristine condition, untouched by humans, from which we can determine how our actions in different places are having an impact,” she says.
“Antarctica and the Arctic are beacons and indicators in terms of global warming”
While the scientific aspect of the Students on Ice trip to Antarctica is not unfamiliar territory, there are many other challenges that the students will face as they visit the South Pole.
While December is summer in Antarctica, the wind chill can still be as low as -40 Celsius. Students have been provided with lengthy lists of what to pack, how to layer and how to try and stay warm.
Aside from the extremely harsh climate, students will also be in a rare situation that they may not have experienced before: there will be no access to technology.
“I’m very nervous, mostly because I won’t have contact with anybody for the two weeks that I’m there. I’ve never not talked to my parents for that long before. The only way the people will hear from us is through our blog posts,” says Brar.
While family and friends may be far away, students are encouraged to bring a special item from home with them on the trip.
For Brar, this is a present from an Australian friend she met at a science fair several years ago.
“I’m bringing my little stuffed koala, whose name is Charlie. I keep thinking though, what if I have to write on my blog, ‘Charlie the koala got kidnapped by a penguin today.’”
While Charlie will likely be staying safely on board the ship that Students on Ice will use to move between locations, Brar has other plans to represent herself on the Antarctic continent.
“I’m taking a lot of Dal gear with me, so I’m planning to have a photo with my Dal hoodie on and penguins in the background.”
The scientific side of the trip, the new people and the frigid weather are all very much on Brar’s mind. However, there is one part of the trip that she is looking forward to above all the rest.
“What I’m most excited for is to see how the stars are going to look in the south. There’s no light pollution, and there are different constellations. I can’t stop thinking about what they will look like.”
The Gazette will catch up with Jasveen Brar about her trip once she returns from Antarctica in January. You can follow her blog at the Students on Ice website.
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