Return to the Arctic

Our next group of BioArt students are preparing for their field season in the Arctic! We have 10 students traveling with us again this year, half science majors and half art majors. They will be working together to conduct independent research in Arctic ecosystems and communicate their research through bio-art. We are looking forward to doing that again from Kilpisjärvi Biological Station in northern Finland, our home away from home!

Right now, we are still at Arizona State University getting ready for the trip. We've started by discussing the similarities between science and art, and thinking about the skills that are similar to both fields. We've been using our skills in observation, interpretation, analysis, and creativity to think about both science and art. We've been practicing those skills in the Sonoran Desert with a little bit of field work... which in May is hot enough to make us really appreciate the fact that we'll soon be in the Arctic!

 

We've also been in the classroom learning some basics of Arctic ecology, so that students can start to plan their research projects and how they will communicate them creatively through art. Even though we're in the Sonoran Desert in the early summer, we've pretended that we're already in the Arctic to learn go over some field safety that we'll use in Finland. We can now successfully use signal mirrors in case we get lost and treat our teammates for hypothermia!

Learning to use signal mirrors... and how to use our cell phones as signal mirrors.

Practicing hypothermia wraps so that we can save Jeremy!

We have another week of class here at ASU, and then we pack up and leave for Finland!