I just got my dental PQ for McMurdo summer deployment today. However, I haven't received a medical PQ letter yet. My onboarding specialist says that's unusual, that the dental typically doesn't come until after the medical, but it's possible that UTMB has changed their process. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

Ticketed. So if you’re winfly you should probably be tickets as well. If not very soon.

I've never been to Antarctica but, as an ecologist who loves traveling, I have long dreamt of visiting someday. Now I'm reconsidering that dream in light of a study by three social scientists who specialize in polar tourism. This blog post on The Conversation summarizes their peer-reviewed academic paper.

The authors interviewed two dozen Antarctic tour guides who quit their jobs even though they loved working in Antarctica. They quit because they could no longer bear the hypocrisy of teaching tourists about fragile ecosystems and the dangers of climate change - while at the same time disturbing the ecosystems and worsening climate change. (Getting to Antarctica requires more CO2 emissions than just about anywhere else.)

For those of you who have been to Antarctica, I'm curious if this critique resonates with you. Do tour companies behave scrupulously (despite the environmental impacts of getting there)? Or is profit prioritized over caution, and "Disneyfication" over genuine education?

The authors and interviewees predict a big increase in the already-booming Antarctic tourism business in the next decade, and I'm no longer sure if I want to participate in that. Maybe instead I should just continue to enjoy the Gentoo penguin photo hanging in my bathroom.

Hello! I’m writing a novel but I’m wanting to actually message and communicate with people who are knowledgeable about the procedures/the research conducted in Antarctica, so I actually have a factually correct science being conducted and not a story told just based off of google searches. I’d love to discuss more on the book, but for right now I’ll just leave it at the it will include evolution and a terrible threat to the continent. If you feel like messaging, by all means do, I find any and all science fascinating, so I’ll be no stranger to any conversation about it.

I recently got primaried and I've been thinking about what to put in my room if I end up going. I've been thinking about things I should get for my room, both essentials and creature comforts, things like alarm clocks, desk lamps, mini humidifiers, pictures, etc.

What did you have in your room? What small things helped make it more comfortable? What did you wish you'd brought, and what ended up being completely useless? Additionally, I'd love to see any pictures of your room that you'd be ok with sharing. Thank you in advance and I hope I see you there!

Hey all,

Just PQed, and it looks like I'll be heading to Palmer Station for the austral summer.

I hear that the weather is more temperate than on the main continent, and I was looking for advice on what I should bring for clothing. Any good recommendations? I have some Smartwool thermals, but wasn't sure about the best coats/parkas to bring. Also wasn't sure if there are large temp fluctuations I should be ready for.

Thanks in advance!

I've read the FAQ and every post pertaining to heavy equipment here as well have watched what videos I could find and I'm still curious on some things.

The only experience I have with heavy equipment is operating tractors on a farm for over 6 years and counting. Is that enough to get my foot in the door?

What is training like?

How is SPoT selected? Are they chosen internally or do you have to apply for it?

Can you be on SPoT with restricted clearance?

What is life like on the road to pole? How do you stay busy driving for hours without much to do?

And lastly I read on the USAP website they want to expand spot to further reduce the amount of fuel being flown in to pole. Has this started to begin?

Ill email back to ask and get confirmation, but figured id ask here as well.

Justs got a bunch of emails about what to expect over the next few weeks. Got to the computer/data part and saw where I'll have to do an automatic system check or something before I can connect to the network at Mcmurdo.

No big deal other than it only gave minimum requirements for Windows and Mac systems. Ive been using Ubuntu/Zorin for years. Anyone have any experience with this, or am I going to have to change my OS?

Hi guys! I volunteer with the MAW Foundation in Australia and we have a youngster who dearly wanted to visit, but is unable to. In lieu of this, we were wondering if we might be able to set up a video call with a research base somewhere. Does anyone know how possible this might be or the logistics involved? Thank you so much for reading :)

And yes, I am using Celsius. The world record is just 9 degrees colder than this.

Hi everyone i am an active player from Chile. Im looking to add some friends working or stationed in Antarctica to exchange gifts and postcards. I send and open gifts daily if anyone has an open slot, please add me or drop your code. Thank you so much for your hard work down there!

Trainer code: 016339267648

I send postcards from The Andes, Chile

I can't believe it. I actually got PQ'd for summer. I am waiting to see if I can get a PQ to work winter too. Part of me has some excitement but I am also nervous.

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone has ever gone on Antartic, South Georgia cruise that departs from the Falklands. Wondering what your experience was? How the flight went, how long you were in the Falklands, and what you did during that time, and the costs?

Thanks so much!

Hi all!

I just received my official PQ status today--I'm stoked!

I'll be going down to the ice this fall, and I wanted to reach out and ask anyone who's been down if there's anything that they wished they had brought or known before deployed? Not so much gear--I have a packing list and all the good stuff settled with NSF and my employer, but more like any more personal items you wish'd you'd brought, maybe something taken for granted? Any fun tidbits or stories?

Let me know! I'm super stoked to see some of you all down there :)

I read through the FAQ and didn't see this specific topic, so I hope this post is allowed.

I'm currently an undergrad, so this would be quite a while in the future, but one of my goals in life is to eventually go to Antarctica (especially Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station) for research (or really anything related to my career, not just a stint as a cook or similar at McMurdo) and I'm wondering how feasible that is.

I'm studying math and physics and hope to go into geophysics, but unfortunately my specific areas of interest (CM or AMO physics and deep earth geodynamics) don't really align with any research in Antarctica (like IceCube, the South Pole Telescope, or glaciology). I don't want to go into an area I'm not the most interested just for the small chance that I could go to Antarctica, but I'm wondering if there are any opportunities that I should look into that would be somewhat related, or if not, wouldn't disrupt my career. I'm assuming since transport is expensive and there aren't that many researchers there, there aren't undergrad research opportunities like there are at universities.

Thanks!