Ice Tracks Giving Back Program

Many events to commemorate Shackleton and his men will continue over the next three years http://www.shackleton100.org and Ice Tracks Expeditions will be sponsoring a very special day at the Scott Polar Research Institute on the 8^th November 2014.

Shackleton’s Legacy, 8 November 2014

A Joint Meeting of
The South Georgia Association & Friends of SPRI to commemorate the centenary of Endurance’s visit to South Georgia.

At the Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge.

 Sponsored by Ice Tracks Expeditions

The extraordinary rescue of the crew of Endurance from the Weddell Sea has been told many times. “Shackleton’s Legacy” will examine, instead, the achievements of Shackleton and his men, and demonstrate the subsequent development in leadership skills, Antarctic science and expedition techniques.

09:30 – 10:15

Coffee and Registration

10:15  

Welcome & Introduction (David Drewry)

Leadership  (Chair: David Drewry)

 10:30                                

Shackleton’s Leadership Skills (Susan Blow)

What were Shackleton’s characteristics as a leader and why are they relevant today? How Shackleton is used as a paradigm in a leadership course for a hi-tech company. Thought Support.

11:00

The Shackleton Challenge (Kevin Kenny – Shackleton Autumn School, Athy)

The Shackleton Challenge introduces transitional kills relating to leadership, group work, self-directed research/development and project management to students. It involves local business and civic organisations in mentoring.

11:30  

Choosing a Team: Men wanted for Hazardous Journey                                                                 (John Hall – Head of Operations & Logistics – British Antarctic Survey)

Shackleton used unconventional means for choosing his expedition members. How are applicants selected for Antarctic service today.

Antarctic science  (Chair: – Ron Lewis-Smith)

12:00                                  

Antarctic sea ice – has it changed?

(Peter Wadhams – Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group, University of Cambridge)

Shackleton’s optimism about disembarking at the head of the Weddell Sea was clearly misplaced. Yet similar problems are encountered by ships supplying Weddell Sea stations today. The surprising conclusion is how little has changed in Antarctic sea ice.

12:30                                

Meteorological observations from Endurance – was the    weather   unusual?  (John King – Science Leader British Antarctic Survey)

Nowadays, satellites and ground stations give a comprehensive view of the weather and climate of the Weddell Sea. The Endurance set of observations will be examined to determine if the weather conditions experienced that year were exceptional.

13:00-14:00                     Buffet Lunch

14:00                                

Shackleton’s Emperors

(Bernard Stonehouse – Emeritus Associate Scott Polar Research Institute)

Fledgling emperor penguins were sighted off Endurance but no one realised they indicated a breeding colony nearby. Colonies are now discovered by satellite imagery.

14:30                              

Shackleton’s geologists and the dawn of plate tectonics

(David MacDonald –  Professor of Petroleum Geology – University of  Aberdeen)

Awareness that South Georgia was ‘different’ from other oceanic islands permeates the work of Shackleton’s colleagues, like James Wordie who lost all his rock specimens when Endurance sank but whose views have been vindicated by modern research.

15:00                                  

Shackleton’s Invertebrates (Bill Block – Emeritus FellowBritish Antarctic Survey )

Shackleton’s expeditions collected invertebrates – and he joined in. The collections are compared with modern knowledge.

Expedition techniques (Chair: David Roote)

15:30

Frank Worsley and the Art of Navigation (Skip Novak – Pelagic Expeditions)

Frank Worsley’s extraordinary skill with a sextant brought the James Caird to South Georgia. His technique is compared with modern navigation by GPS.

16:00                                    

Expedition Nutrition – avoiding starvation

(Steve Jones Planning & Expeditions Manager – Antarctic Logistics and

Expeditions)

Shackleton’s sledge rations were advanced for their time but they were inadequate when compared with modern expedition rations.

Closing remarks.