Inspiring Polar Careers

Kaitlin Keegan studies firn

Career Profiles (PDF)

Lou Albershardt
Zoe Courville
Jay Johnson
Tanner Kuhl
Joe McConnell
Atsu Muto
Sandy Starkweather

Tanner Kuhl tests blue ice drill

Putting together a team for Antarctic or glacial research is not much different than planning a trip to Mars! People need to be responsible not only for the science goals, but also for planning the logistics of getting everyone to the research site safely and ensuring their health in extreme conditions. A variety of scientific, mechanical and operational job roles need to be filled.

To explore sample careers, click on the links in the box to read personal stories and access short videos of drilling and coring teams in action. Additional videos are available through the Polar Palooza link on the Cool Stuff page of this site.

If you are participating in the Learning Expedition, "Checking Out Your Team", you might want to make notes about the various types of jobs these people have and what their backgrounds are, to prepare for your scientist visit.

Here's some more good news: The field of polar science has lots of opportunities for women! In addition to the people you can read about here, you might also enjoy reading an article about the pioneers of the past, at the link below.

History of Women in Antarctica