Free Glaciology Program for Teenage Girls
Girls On Ice: North Cascades Institute
22 July-1 August 2007
Easton Glacier, Mount Baker, Washington
Application Deadline: Thursday, 15 March 2007
For further information, please go to:
http://www.ncascades.org/programs/youth/girls_on_ice/
or contact:
Megan McGinty, Program Coordinator
North Cascades Institute
Phone: 360-856-5700, ext. 202
E-mail: megan_mcginty [at] ncascades.org
North Cascades Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to
conserving and restoring Northwest environments through education,
announces Girls On Ice, a unique eleven-day leadership program for
teenage girls that combines leadership, mountaineering, and science. The
program will be held 22 July-1 August 2007 and is open to girls 15-18
years old who have shown a keen interest in science and the outdoors.
The program is free to girls who qualify via a merit-based application
process.
Girls on Ice will be based at Easton Glacier on the south side of Mount
Baker in Washington state and will focus on field research and
glaciology as well as team building and basic mountaineering skills. The
program is taught by Erin Pettit, a glaciologist who spends six weeks a
year studying the glaciers of Antarctica.
The curriculum focuses on gathering glaciology data in the field by
using a combination of science and outdoor skills. The students will
learn to use observation and inference to formulate research questions
and design their own experiments to explore those questions. Topics
include: forest and alpine ecology, fluvial and alpine geomorphology, an
introduction to snow stratigraphy, the use of snow accumulation to
indicate climate change, glacial ablation, surface velocities and
crevasse growth, and glacial erosion and terminus retreat rates. In
order to reach and explore the glaciers safely, girls learn and practice
leadership, the "leave-no-trace" ethic, and various wilderness skills
including glacier travel techniques.
Candidates must be young women between the ages of 15-18 who are in good
physical condition. The program involves daily hiking over rugged
mountain trails with a backpack containing food, water, extra clothing,
and climbing gear. Nine young women will be selected and the ideal
candidate will be an inquisitive, adventurous girl who would like to
learn more about scientific inquiry, research, careers in science, and
the Northwest environment.
Applications must include a written narrative and two recommendations
from teachers, coaches, or employers. The application packet is
available for download at:
http://www.ncascades.org/programs/youth/girls_on_ice/
Applications must be submitted by Thursday, 15 March 2007, and
successful candidates will be notified by 15 April 2007.
For further information, please contact:
Megan McGinty, Program Coordinator
North Cascades Institute
Phone: 360-856-5700, ext. 202
E-mail: megan_mcginty [at] ncascades.org