We are just about to depart to Antarctica to gain some hands-on experience in field research ! This class trip is the climax of the Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Science (PCAS), an intensive 14-week programme providing 15 undergraduate students with the key knowledge about the coolest of all continents.

After arrival at Scott Base, which is New Zealand’s only permanent research station, we will travel to the McMurdo Ice Shelf and experience life on the ice. But we won’t simply build a snowman, the students will undertake a mix of hands-on field projects and environmental monitoring to broaden their understanding of Antarctic matters.

We will camp in “Windless Bight”, an area named by the British Antarctic Expedition (1910-13), because they didn’t encounter any wind. I guess we’ll soon find out if that is a good term or if “Windy Bight” would have been a better one… Our Camp will  be on the south side of Ross Island and near our planet’s southernmost active volcano, Mt. Erebus (3,794 m or 12,448 ft), also known as “The Ice Volcano”.

Follow us on our exciting journey to Antarctica – the last pure wilderness on Earth