Antarctic field work

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Antarctic field work and the graduate student
experience
Jill Mikucki OPP-Polar Postdoc Harvard University
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or what I learned in field camp.
McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER and Microbial
Observatories

• Lessons learned
• Postdoc transition
• Preparing the Polar Postdoc application
• Status

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Antarctic Field Research The Process
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Antarctic Field Research Character building

• Teamwork
• Collaborate
• Speak new languages
• Develop a culture of synthesis
• Leadership
• Make decisions
• Take responsibility
• Communicate effectively
• Mentor

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Antarctic Field Research Independence

• Explore
• Provide a new perspective
• Ask new questions
• Develop research thesis under a powerful support
  network (PIs, OPP and Raytheon)

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Antarctic Field Research Legacy

• The role of research in the history of
  Antarctic exploration
• Contribution to a long-term dataset
• Community of polar investigators

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Antarctic Field Research Graduate
student/Postdoc transition

• Opportunity to learn new skills
• Continue my training as a polar scientist but
  ask
• compelling new questions
• View the system and data with a new perspective

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Antarctic Field Research Postdoc proposal
thoughts

• Discussed my ideas with other Antarctic PIs
• Read NRC reports (Frontiers in Polar Biology
  in the Genomic Era)
• Met with prospective sponsor
• Talked to my program manager
• Thought about my career goals

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Antarctic Field Research A few months in

• Training on new (prototype) equipment
• Exposure to new disciplines, techniques and
  perspectives
• Field season planning (SIP, etc)
• Share the Antarctic process with colleagues and
  outreach

Moving-wire interface for the isotopic analysis
of nucleic acids
Pearson Biogeochemistry Group
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With appreciation!
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Questions?