What kind of research is involved?
The 2024 trip was an ambitious, student-centered adventure that will build upon past
research collected since 2006. With mentoring from Rhett Herman, Ph.D., students developed
their own research project that relates to their own future career in whatever field
they want. Most of these are based on microcontrollers, and collect data from the
numerous environmental and other sensors that may be attached to these. No experience
with microcontrollers or these sensors is assumed!
Laboratory
The Naval Arctic Research Laboratory was given by the Navy to the National Science
Foundation (NSF) in the 1980s. The NSF administers it specifically for research operations.
Radford University researchers are joining researchers from all over the world who
come to this polar research field site, which is remotely located with no connecting
roads.
Collaborations
Science Community
The student researchers may be venturing further out onto the ice than they have ever
done before for more individualized data collection using the sensors and research
plan they developed during the fall seminar and spring course.
Governor's School
By collaborating with the Governor’s School, a magnet high school, a wide range of
ages and backgrounds are able to contribute to the research. The two Governor’s School
students are dual-enrolled in this class, and will work alongside Radford University
students. The Governor’s School’s students must complete a rigorous and competitive
review process before being invited to join the team of undergraduate researchers.
Research Presentations
As always following a trip to the Arctic, Radford University researchers will present
their work at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco,
Ca. which is the world’s largest meeting of earth and space scientists. Some students
will go with Rhett Herman, Ph.D., to this prestigious meeting of roughly 24,000 attendees.
Students will boost their resumes while presenting their findings on equal footing
next to researchers from NASA and NOAA, and universities and research centers around
the world. After the 2022 journey, five students presented their work individually
at the 2022 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
