Contact: Andrew Bunn, (360) 650-4252, andy.bunn@wwu.edu
BELLINGHAM - Andrew Bunn, assistant professor at Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment, will for the second consecutive summer take a pair of WWU undergraduates on a summer research project to the Siberian arctic to study the effects of climate change on these ecologically vital and sensitive areas.
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| Dusk on the Siberian tundra. |
| image courtesy The Polaris Project |
"I did not appreciate the massive changes under way in the Arctic before traveling to Siberia last year. Yet, that change is just likely beginning. I'm excited to return this year and to see this anew with the fresh crop of students. They are the luckiest undergraduates in the country," said Bunn.
The Polaris Project is a two-year-old initiative coordinated by the Woods Hole Research Center to study the rapid and profound changes under way in the Arctic in response to global warming. While in Siberia, the students and scientists will be based at the Northeast Science Station, which is located approximately 80 kilometers south of the Arctic Ocean on the Kolyma River, near the town of Cherskiy.
In addition to the field course, the Polaris Project includes several new arctic-focused undergraduate courses taught by project co-primary investigators (PIs) at their home institutions, the opportunity for those co-PIs to initiate research programs in the Siberian Arctic, and a wide range of outreach activities. All project participants, both students and faculty, will visit K-12 classrooms upon their return to convey the excitement and importance of polar research.
"The combination of traveling across the world and participating in field work for a month as an undergrad is an incredible experience. The fact that this research is so cutting edge, gravely important, and taking place in such a remote and beautiful area is a rare and extraordinary opportunity I never imagined I would receive," said Henderson.
Janicek agreed, saying, "The Polaris Project is giving me the exciting opportunity to not only go somewhere that very few people in the world will ever go, but also gain hands-on experience in the field of environmental science. I hope that this experience will give me a sense of accomplishment and personal insight, as well as inspire me to inform others and provide motivation as I continue my own education in science."
WWU's Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation. The College's academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has won national and international recognition.
The Woods Hole Research Center is dedicated to science, education and public policy for a habitable Earth, seeking to conserve and sustain forests, soils, water, and energy by demonstrating their value to human health and economic prosperity. The Center has initiatives in the Amazon, the Arctic, Africa, Russia, Asia, Boreal North America, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England.
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