Witnessing the geologic find was Dave Carlson, one of seven Hamilton students working alongside the team of researchers during a three-week expedition to Antarctica. For more than 15 years, Professor Domack has been studying the Antarctic and inviting students to join him in the only undergraduate college research program of its kind.
"Just knowing you are one of only 100 people alive who have witnessed this — the size and force of the ice — is incredible," Dave said.
As if traveling to the bottom of the world weren't enough, the geology major was invited to present results from the trip at the ANTIME Weddell Sea Workshop in Sweden. Scientists from four countries gathered to learn about the findings of the U.S. Antarctic Program and what work is planned for the future.
"From a personal perspective, it was quite an experience," Dave said. "I was the only one there without a Ph.D., and while I wasn't at their level of experience when it comes to debating questionable data, the group was very interested in what I had to say."
On-site research isn't new to Dave. He mapped extinct volcanoes and structural formations for a field studies course in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, and spent a summer on the Maine coast helping Professor David Bailey determine the age of islands created during a magmatic event.
"The exciting part for me is being in the field, doing the work and seeing the results," Dave said.
