From January-February 2013 and from November-December 2013, I was blessed to accompany two research labs (Dr. Andrew Mahon's Lab from CMU and Dr. Halanych's lab from Auburn U., AL) to Antarctica. On both trips, I worked with a team of international scientists to collect benthic invertebrates for future genetic/climate change studies. Although I have ultimately decided that laboratory research is not my dream career, this was certainly a formative and irreplaceable experience. I learned so much and had the privilege of working with some of the hardest working, most intelligent marine scientists out there.
If you're interested in my trip or in the Mahon or Halanych labs, please follow these links to the Auburn and CMU Icy Inverts Blogs. There are tons of fabulous and informative scientific posts, and I myself blogged for these websites during the two expeditions.
For Auburn's 2013 Shipblog:
http://www.auburn.edu/cosam/departments/research/antarctica/2013/blog/index.htm
For Auburn, I blogged on November 21st and December 5, 2013.
For Central Michigan University's 2013 Shipblog:
http://people.cst.cmich.edu/mahon2a/MahonLab/Antarctica/Archive.html
My entries in the CMU blog include, "An Undergraduate's First Trip to the Ice," "Wedded Bliss on the High Seas," "Always Something New," and "My Final Thoughts On This Trip." You might want to scroll down to the bottom of the archives to start out with the January 2013 cruise.
