the 2013-2014 ANSMET field team, in no particular order

This Friday the remainder of the 2013-2014 ANSMET field team begins their journey southward to McMurdo Station, Antarctica.  John and Jim are already underway, while the rest, a combination of seasoned veterans and newbies,  are getting ready to travel.

ANSMET field teams are made up of a mix of leadership personnel and volunteers, both veterans and new folks.   This year’s team is more veterans than newbies, a purposeful choice given some of the uncertainty we sensed during early planning (note to expeditioners: always trust that sense of foreboding).  As noted earlier, I’m not going with the team this year,  and I’m jealous-  this is a fun group.

The team includes…..

Jim Karner from Case Western Reserve University,  field team leader and veteran of 5 previous seasons;

John Schutt from Case Western Reserve University (and Blaine, WA), our mountaineer and field safety officer since 1980!

Barb Cohen from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, a veteran of two previous seasons (2003-4 and 2006-7);

Jani Radebaugh from Brigham Young University, a veteran of two previous seasons (2005-6 and 2008-9);

Steve Ballou from Beloit College, a veteran of one previous season (2010-11);

Manavi Jadhav from the University of Hawai’i (and soon the University of Chicago), a first-timer;

Morgan Martinez from the University of California San Diego, another first-timer;

Alex Meshik from Washington University in St. Louis, who finally makes it after an invite almost 10 years ago!

These scientists conduct a wide variety of planetary research, from studies of Antarctic (and non-Antarctic) meteorites, the history of the Moon and Mars, processes on icy planetary bodies and the origins of the solar system.  Some even have particular skills we need (like driving cat sleds to the Pole).

Folks interested in volunteering for a future ANSMET expedition should read the blog’s FAQ section on that topic (read carefully….applications are ONLY accepted ON PAPER, no emails please).

-Ralph Harvey,  from Case Western Reserve University