Fieldwork in Denali National Park

by Sam Streeter '13, TH '14

Watch Sam's video about his work. 

During the spring-summer 2013 interim and continuing through the summer 2013 term, I performed research in the Dartmouth College Earth Sciences (EARS) Department as an engineering senior honors thesis student, Stefansson Research Fellow, and John Lindsley Fund grant recipient. The first portion of my experience involved fieldwork on the Kahiltna Glacier in the Alaska Range in Denali National Park, Alaska, and the second portion was laboratory-based in the Dartmouth EARS Department.

My research experience involved fieldwork with Professor Erich Osterberg and his team on the Kahiltna Glacier in Denali National Park. At the Kahiltna Glacier basecamp, I helped transport from the field all ice cores drilled on the slopes of nearby Mt. Hunter, helped setup a remote weather station on the Kahiltna Glacier, and helped organize, collapse, and transport research team supplies from the field.

Most importantly, I gained firsthand experience with the process of ice core extraction, and I gained an appreciation for how technological innovation and engineering solutions play invaluable roles not only in the analysis of ice cores but also in the extraction of ice cores.

My fellowship taught me that field research—no matter its specific nature—provides endless opportunities for innovation and engineering. With this knowledge, I am genuinely inspired to pursue future engineering-based research with applications in the field, through which I can visit remarkable locations around the world while conducting meaningful scientific work.