From the classroom to the tundra: The 2006 experience
LAURA HALL, KARIN JOHANSSON, LINDA CHOW, JESS MCCREARY AND JUSTIN GILLIGAN
Have you touched permafrost lately?
Have your university assignments been
submitted to government offi cials?
Have you seen polar bears, caribou, arctic
foxes, and belugas in the wild all in one
day?
Have you been able to connect with local
experts on a personal level?
Have you been challenged to apply your
knowledge in a practical setting?
This summer, 20 U of M students were lucky enough to experience all of these things and more during a two-week fi eld course in Churchill, Man., run by instructor Ryan Brook and TA Murray Gillespie. After an intimate 43-hour train ride, students from diverse academic backgrounds were immersed in hands-on social and natural scientific research.
Once in Churchill, students were immediately fl own by helicopter to Wapusk National Park. Wapusk borders Manitoba’s coast (yes, Manitoba has a coast), and it is the second largest polar bear denning area in the world. In the evenings, students were confined to a fenced-in compound that at fi rst glance resembled the exercise yard from Prison Break. During the day, students spent time hiking and conducting fi eld research. During this time, students were able to view wildlife such as polar bears, caribou and arctic foxes. “You never forget your fi rst time on the tundra,” said one student when asked to comment on his experience on the land.
Once back at the Northern Studies Centre in Churchill, students had 10 days to work on assignments, interact with a variety of local peoples, attend community events, collect data in diff erent landscapes, and see as many local hot spots as possible. Limits were pushed and sleep was at a minimum but fun was defi nitely at a maximum!
Although students stayed at the fully equipped Churchill Northern Studies Centre, the tundra and community of Churchill was their classroom. “I love probing the tundra,”commented one student after a hard day’s work in the fi eld. “It’s fun to see just how deep the active layer is!” Among numerous topics, students were able to experience diff erent ways of learning. Whether they were probing the active layer, doing research design, working on proposals, participating in traditional or local knowledge sessions, getting involved with the community or just hanging out with some good friends, students were constantly learning from their surroundings.
All 20 students will remember their experiences in Churchill for a lifetime. Students got to experience the sub-arctic environment and were fully immersed in the cultural dynamics of the town of Churchill. So, what stories will we tell when we’re in an old-folks’ home suff ering from dementia? Perhaps those of swimming in the Hudson’s Bay, eating raw caribou meat, sleeping under the northern lights, having lunch on the tundra (in the sun, rain, cold, and puddles), singing country tunes on the bus, waking up to polar bears, watching the sun set over the Ithica (an old stranded ship viewable from the Hudson’s Bay coast), gutting fi sh, collecting mussels, and having a cookout on the tidal fl ats, and making 21 new best friends.
If you’re interested in taking the course next year, contact Ryan Brook (ryan_ brook@umanitoba.ca) tickety-boo, because the course fi lls up quickly (and yes, the wacky vocabulary is mandatory).
