World

On Ice

Ann Arbor educator begins an Antarctic adventure.

Diana Lieberman

Special to the Jewish News

Ann Arbor

A

s a teenager, Robin Frisch
stood on the bimah at the
Birmingham Temple and pre-
sented a confirmation speech titled "Self-
Discovery in the Wilderness!'
On Oct. 1, Robin Frisch-Gleason, now a
fourth-grade teacher at Ann Arbor's Bach
Elementary School, set off for a wilder-
ness of ice. Along with seven other educa-
tors, she is heading for Antarctica, the
southernmost spot on the globe, where
she will work with scientists who study
the effects of the cycles of global warm-
ing that have occurred during the past 50
million years.
This will be Frisch-Gleason's second trip
to Antarctica. Twenty-two years ago, as
a geology graduate student at Vanderbilt
University, she camped out "on ice" to
research the formation of rocks dating
back 250 million years and to learn from
them how Antarctica had once been con-
nected to other continents in the southern
hemisphere.
"I was there for 21/2 months:' she
remembered. "It was summer then; it got
up to about 20 above zero!'
"This time, we'll be there for about nine
weeks in late spring. The weather will be
in the vicinity of 20 below zero!"
The coldest temperature ever recorded
on Antarctica was 129 degrees below zero,
and winter is a time of constant night.
"When we are there, it will be total day;'
she said. "I will be about 500-600 miles
from the South Pole; so where I am, it will
get a little bit darker at night, but it will
still be bright out"
However, she said, judging from her last
experience in Antarctica, she will be so
exhausted from battling the cold and wind
all day that she will have no trouble sleep-
ing, even if the sun is shining.
Before reaching Antarctica, Frisch-
Gleason, 47, will spend about four days
in Christchurch, New Zealand, getting to
know some of the country's science educa-
tors and students. Then, for her first three
weeks in Antarctica, she will be staying
at a dormitory in McMurdo Station, an
indoor village.
"In spite of the cold, a few people do

20A

October 18 • 2007

Penguins in Antarctica

winter over in Antarctica to maintain the
stations, maybe 100 at McMurdo Station, a
handful at the South Pole and a handful at
Palmer Station. Once you're indoors;' she
said, "it's not very different from anywhere
else!'

On The Sea Ice

When the weather permits, Frisch-Gleason
and one other educator have been chosen
to leave the comfort of McMurdo. Living
on the sea ice itself — and sleeping in a
two-person tent — they will tag-team the

Robin Frisch-Gleason

scientists as they conduct the geophysical
research.
After drilling a hole through the ice,
they will penetrate to the rocks below,
using sound waves. "This gives us an
image of the sea floor and below, allowing
us to 'see' the different levels created in
different eras:' she said.
"I'm very excited. I'll actually be doing
some of the work, like cutting the rock
and X-raying."
Working outdoors in Antarctica and
sleeping in an unheated tent is not for
everyone, Frisch-Gleason said, describing

the layers of protective clothing and safety
equipment supplied to each researcher.
"The last time I was there, I lost weight
because it's so cold:' she said. "When you're
in your sleeping bag, you bring in with
you anything that might freeze — tooth-
paste, water bottle, lotion, camera — so
the sleeping bag heats more than just your
body."
Frisch-Gleason said that her students
and her own children — Ivy, 11, and Mia,
15 — are excited but apprehensive about
her two-month adventure. She reassures
everyone, including husband James, and
parents Deborah and Dr. Emanuel Frisch
of Farmington Hills, she will be perfectly
safe in Antarctica.
"The team will be monitored very care-
fully," she said. "There are very stringent
safety standards to make sure the ice
doesn't crack.
"Honestly, the biggest danger is the
flight to New Zealand and back."
The main responsibility of the educa-
tors on the project, which is sponsored by
an international scientific team known as
ANDRILL (Antarctic Geological Drilling),
will be to translate the scientific research
into language the general public can
appreciate. They will develop educational
materials for K-16 students as well as
adults and policy makers to better inform
them about Antarctica and changes in the
global environmental system.
"I will personally be talking to many
classes, both pre- and post-ice Frisch-
Gleason said.
In addition, she plans to write a chil-
dren's book; develop several talk series,
exhibits and activity days in partnership

Robin Frisch-Gleason in Antarctica for

the first time 22 years ago. She left for

her second visit on Oct. 1.

with the University of Michigan Natural
History Exhibit Museum; and develop
an earth stewardship correspondence
program between her fourth-graders and
students in New Zealand.
She heard about the ANDRILL educa-
tion project through an old friend from
the Birmingham Temple, Denise Landau.
As executive director of the International
Association of Antarctic Tour Operators,
Landau coordinates scheduling and the
environmental impact of human incur-
sions on the continent.
"The climate has changed several times
throughout geological time,' Frisch-
Gleason said. "Since about 15 million
years ago, there has been permanent ice
in Antarctica. But during that time, there
have been periods of interglacial warm-
ing!'
These two factors make the continent
perfect for geological research.
"Since my first experience in Antarctica,
I have felt a passion for sharing Antarctica
with the world — the mysteries, the
beauty;' she said. "As a geologist and an
educator, I can bring it alive to the com-
munity." i I

To keep track of Robin's Antarctica adven-
ture, log on to her blog at arise-in-antarctica.

blogspot.com/search/label/Robin.