EPISODE 14 - ADVENTURE DISPATCH - JUNEAU ICEFIELD RESEARCH PROGRAM

The Juneau Icefield Research Program is an eight-week immersion classroom in the wilderness of the Juneau Icefield, during which participants (undergraduate, graduate, and high school juniors and seniors) traverse from Juneau, Alaska to Atlin, British Columbia. The Juneau Icefield covers an area the size of Rhode Island, and includes some 50 outlet glaciers. In this wild classroom, students are guided by faculty mentors and immerse themselves in a number of projects investigating ice mass, glacier movement, climatic changes , but also learn the art of communicating science to the masses. It’s a place and a classroom unlike any other you’ve seen.

Here at the adventure activist, we believe in the transformative nature of exploration. It struck me in my time away, hearing the excitement in the student’s voices and watching their wide eyes take in the vast expanse of ice for the first time, that adventure is also a potent fuel, something that can stoke the fire for learning about a place and understanding our world. I think you’ll find in the voices ahead that this experience strikes an emotional chord in the students and faculty that resonates into their lives ahead. I hope it resonates with you.

To learn more about the Juneau Icefield Research Program: http://juneauicefield.org/

Photo: Andrew Opila, www.andrewopila.com
Theme Music: Broke for Free, “Night Owl”
Free Music Archive
Background Music: Evan Phillips
Courtesy Evan Phillips. evanphillips.bandcamp.com