Catch up: the Antarctica Now live talks
In January 2021, Shackleton hosted our inaugural Antarctica NOW festival, a seven-day online celebration of all things Antarctica. Our aim was to take you on a virtual journey to an extraordinary continent that has captured restless imaginations for centuries. Throughout the week we were joined by leading experts – you can catch up on all the live talks here.
Klaus Dodds
A new Cold War? Why the Antarctic is on the brink of an international power struggle.
Klaus is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is a trustee of the Royal Geographical Society and Editor-in-Chief of Territory, Politics, Governance. His books include The Antarctic: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press 2012) and Border Wars (Ebury/Penguin 2021). He has visited Antarctica four times and is an Hon Fellow of British Antarctic Survey.
DR MARK DRINKWATER
Checking earth's pulse at the Poles from space: are 2020's vital signs cause for concern?
Mark heads the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth and Mission Science Division in the Earth Observation Programmes Directorate. He is responsible for scientific activities to support the development and operation of ESA’s Earth observation satellite missions. He has supported a string of successful pioneering scientific and operational missions, spanning a 34-year career working for NASA and ESA. His division supports the conception and design of future new Earth Explorer, Copernicus Sentinel, and meteorological satellite missions to deliver environmental data 24/7 around the globe.
Dr Mackenzie Grieman
Ice as a time machine – what stories can glaciers and ice sheets tell us about our past?
Mackenzie received her BA in public policy analysis with an emphasis in chemistry at Pomona College in Claremont in 2009. She completed a PhD at the University of California in 2016 as part of the Saltzman/Aydin research group and worked at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C. from 2017-2018. She then joined the Wolff research group at Cambridge as part of the WACSWAIN project, which involves using an Antarctic ice core to investigate the possible collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheets and its ice shelves during the last interglacial.
Sebastian Copeland
Waking the giant – how can polar photography help bring about change?
Sebastian is a polar explorer, climate analyst and photographer. He has led expeditions across the Arctic sea, Greenland and Antarctica, covering more than 8000kms. An international speaker on the climate crisis, Sebastian has addressed audiences at the UN, at universities and museums, and many Fortune 500 companies. He is a Fellow of the Explorer’s Club, the American Polar Society and the International Glaciology Society. He was knighted in the National Order of Merit by French President Macron in 2019.
Lizzie Daly
From penguins to whales – what I learned from my close encounters with the wildlife in Antarctica
Lizzie is a wildlife biologist, broadcaster and conservation filmmaker. From Blue Planet Live Lessons to a National Geographic Live YouTube series, Lizzie has a real passion for connecting others with the natural world. Lizzie is currently studying a PhD on how we can protect and coexist alongside the African elephants in Kenya by attaching tags, and is an Academic Teaching & Outreach fellow at Swansea University with the aim to continue to bridge the gap between the general public and scientific communities.
Hugh Broughton
Polar architecture – what are the challenges of designing for the world’s most extreme environment?
In 2005, Hugh’s practice (Hugh Broughton Architects) won an international competition for the design of the UK’s most southerly Antarctic research station, Halley VI. The modular elevated base was completed in 2012 and is the world’s first fully relocatable polar research facility. Hugh’s practice has gone on to win a string of design competitions for remote projects and is now considered one of the world’s leading designers of research facilities in the polar regions. He has lectured worldwide and regularly sits on competition juries.
STEVE JONES
Earth’s final frontier – what are the lessons from the past for today’s Antarcticexplorers?
Steve is the Expeditions Manager in charge of expedition planning for Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLC (ALE). He has spent more than 10 summers working in Antarctica and for six of these he was the Field Operations Manager in charge of ALE’s operations in Antarctica. He has been involved in the planning of around 75% of all South Pole expeditions and is an expert on expedition planning, safety management and polar expeditions. As a polar guide, mountaineer and expedition leader, he has led groups to both North and South Geographic Poles.
