Who in the world would ever go there?!
Dear reader,
Since you may well be spending the next year with us, it would probably be best if you got to know us right away. If you’ve ever asked yourself just what kind of cuckoos travel to the bottom of the Earth just to be trapped there for a year: don’t worry; we’re only half as crazy as you think. We overwinterers have a mission – and together we’re going to accomplish it! We want the station to be buzzing and the scientific data to flow freely. We’re going to be together for the next year, out here in the eternal ice. Come what may. For this to work, it takes nine people who, together, can cover all the functions needed to get through the winter. But besides our technical qualifications, we are of course nine individuals, each with his or her own characteristics and interests. So, in the following, we’ll tell you a bit about ourselves. In follow-up blog entries, you’ll learn more about our day-to-day experiences working at the station.
ÜWI SNAPSHOTS
ALICIA
Function: Geophysics; i.e., digging holes, climbing into the ice cave of the Magnetic Observatory and analysing earthquake data
Age: 25
Place of birth: Karlsruhe
Education / training: Master Geophysics
Reason for applying: During my studies, I had the chance to conduct research in various countries around the globe. After hot springs and volcanoes in Asia and Middle America, it was high time for cooler places.
Favourite spot at Neumayer: Observation deck, library in the ice during storms or whiteout conditions
Highlight from the prep phase: Mudflat hiking on the island Neuwerk, spontaneous ÜWI get-togethers in the stairwell, the night we spent camping in a tent on a glacier during our alpine course
A good song: “Viva la Vida” von Coldplay
Passionate about: Acrobatics (i.e., bending and stacking people in a variety of ways)
Favourite meal: Everything Werner makes, e.g. lentils with spätzle, feta cheese, salad
What I would take on a desert island: Juggling balls, though there might be coconuts? Then I’d rather take a good friend; being alone is more fun together…
Favourite animal: Red panda, chipmunk
Coldest place visited before the Antarctic: Camping near Tromsø in February
Favourite constellation: Delphinus
Must-have for Neumayer: Buffs: slippers that can’t so easily slip off your feet
WERNER
Function: Cook
Age: 60
Place of birth: Stuttgart
Education / training: Cook
Reason for applying: To get out of my hammock…
Favourite spot at Neumayer: Sauna
Highlight from the prep phase: Firefighting course in Neustadt/Holstein
A good song: “Under pressure” by Queen
Passionate about: Motorcycles
Personal hero: Gerd Müller, 1974 World Cup
Favourite meal: Franconian Schäufela
Childhood dream: To finally get my driving license
Quote: Chantal, cry quietly !
Coldest place visited before the Antarctic: The deep-freeze in the canteen kitchen, minus 40°C
Favourite animal : Gina
AURELIA
Function: 1. Station leader, 2. All-purpose doctor
Age: 43
Place of birth: Basel, grew up in an alpine village in the Black Forest
Education / training: Vascular surgeon, emergency physician
Reason for applying: Since my childhood, I’ve had “polar fever,” which for many years I couldn’t do anything to satisfy. My sabbatical in Alaska and Norway only made my longing to see the poles worse. While looking for a job on Svalbard, I had the tremendous good fortune to stumble across the job advert for the Neumayer Station.
Favourite spot at Neumayer: The lounge with its huge windows facing south – offering a view of the endless white expanse, with storm petrels or tiny Wilson’s petrels occasionally swooping by.
Highlight from the prep phase: The alpine course, despite everything!
A good song: “Over the rainbow” by IZ Kamakawiwoʻole (I always liked to listen to it when we were finishing a long and difficult operation and could “sew up” the patient)
Passionate about: Travel
Quote: I do not seek – I find. (…) Finding is something totally new! (Pablo Picasso)
Favourite meal: “Hölzer pizza” (old family recipe)
Childhood dream: To spend an entire year at the North or South Pole, esp. the Polar Night
What I would take on a desert island: My fellow overwinterers (ÜWIs)
Coldest place visited before the Antarctic: Finnmarksvidda, Norway (minus 25°C)
Favourite animal: snow petrel
Favourite constellation: Scorpio – you can see it so clearly here
Must-have for Neumayer: Swiss pine cushions
MARKUS
Function: Meteorological Observatory and sea-ice measurements
Age: 43
Place of birth: Karlsruhe
Education / training: Theoretical quantum physics
Reason for applying: Actually, I had applied to become an astronaut with the ESA. They didn’t take me. But this is even better
Favourite spot at Neumayer: Summer: Observation deck, just before midnight; Winter: Sauna
Highlight from the prep phase: Eating döner with the rest of the team at 2 am in Berlin
A good song: “This Time Tomorrow” by The Kinks
Passionate about: Flying in gliders
Favourite meal: Spaghetti carbonara
Personal hero: Chelsea Manning, Roger Willemsen
Favourite animal: Tasmanian Tiger (sadly extinct)
Favourite movie character: Bill Murray as Steve Zissou in Life Aquatic
Quote: The world reveals itself to the ones who travel on foot
BENITA
Function: Geophysicist
Age: 26
Place of birth: Ellwangen (Jagst)
Education / training: University: Bachelor of Geoinformatics/Geophysics; Master of Geophysics at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg
Reason for applying: Exotic workplace, sense of adventure, the diversity range of skills needed
Favourite spot at Neumayer: In front of the huge window in the lounge
Highlight from the prep phase: Going to Kneippbecken after the alpine course
A good song: “Favorite Color” by AnJosef
Passionate about: Leidenschaft: Mountaineering & climbing
Favourite meal: Chickpea-potato-cauliflower curry
Childhood dream: To be able to fly
Quote: Reality is for people who are afraid of unicorns.
Favourite movie character: Sandokan
Must-have for Neumayer: Paint-by-numbers books
HANNES
Function: Atmospheric chemist
Age: 33
Place of birth: Stuttgart
Education / training: Environmental scientist
Reason for applying: An entire year of exciting work at a remote research station in the Polar Circle. Experiencing the polar year
Favourite spot at Neumayer: Observation platform “helideck”
Highlight from the prep phase: Camping under the stars in the Tyrolean mountains. Going for a night swim in a freezing-cold pond
A good song: “Sound of Silence” by Disturbed
Passionate about: Hiking in northern Scandinavia
Personal hero: Edward Snowden
Favourite meal: Anything that Werner makes
What I would take on a desert island: A sailboat
Coldest place visited before the Antarctic: Sveg, Sweden (minus 28°C)
Favourite constellation: Orion
Must-have for Neumayer: Cross-country skis for my daily commute to the Air Chemistry Observatory
Favourite animal: Squirrel
KATRIN
Function: Station engineer
Age: 41
Place of birth: Güstrow
Education / training: History of philosophy and mathematics, mechatronics, marine technician
Reason for applying: 1. Wanted to be part of a team where everyone is passionate about their field and the Antarctic. 2. Wanted to see how the station’s technical systems function in the ice, and to be responsible for keeping them running smoothly.
Favourite spot at Neumayer: Wherever there’s a window for looking outside
Highlight from the prep phase: Alpine course: the glacier
A good song: “Albatros” by Karat
Passionate about: Sailing
Personal hero: I’m not telling
Favourite meal: Roulade with red cabbage and dumplings
Childhood dream: To become a chimney sweep
Quote: Nothing is carved in stone
Coldest place visited before the Antarctic: Birobidzhan
Favourite Constellation: Pleiades
Must-have for Neumayer: My slippers
Favourite animal: Birds and cats
MICHA(EL)
Function: Elektro-Ingenieur
Age: 28
Place of birth: Nordenham
Education / training: Electrician (building services and energy systems engineering), electrical engineer (Master of Engineering)
Reason for applying: I love having the chance to try out new and extreme things. I’m always looking for the next challenge and that’s exactly what made me apply for this job. Plus, I had always wanted to be part of a research expedition to the polar regions
Favourite spot at Neumayer: I don’t have a single favourite spot at the station; it has far too much to offer. It depends on the particular moment. E.g. I love to sit in front of the giant window in the lounge and get lost in thought while I gaze out, or to play guitar there. When the polar lights appear, my favourite spot is outside, in front of the station, so I can watch them dancing above it
Highlight from the prep phase: Definitely the alpine course! I especially enjoyed camping on a glacier and rappelling into a crevasse in the ice. Another highlight was the team cohesion during the course. That showed me that, after just a few weeks, our team worked together perfectly. Does the journey on the Polarstern count as part of our prep phase? :D It was absolutely awesome and indescribably beautiful!
A good song: “Welcome Home” by Radical Face. It’s the best song for sinking into my own thoughts and remembering all the beautiful moments from the pas
Passionate about: Photography
Favourite meal: Tuna pizza (no onions)
Personal hero: David Attenborough
Childhood dream: I always wanted to be able to fly and see the world from above.
Quote: You only live once
Favourite animal: Dogs and cats
What I would take on a desert island: Guitar
Coldest place visited before the Antarctic: Hintertux Glacier
Must-have for Neumayer: Camera, guitar
KARSTEN
Function: IT engineer, radio operator
Age: 32
Place of birth: Somewhere in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, who cares exactly where ; ) Education / training: Master in Electrical Engineering, electrician (industrial engineering), amateur radio operator license
Reason for applying: After watching a documentary, fascinated by working in the Antarctic
Favourite spot at Neumayer: Working on the shortwave radio tower, 7 metres off the ground
Highlight from the prep phase: : The “test”
A good song: “Sound of Silence” by Disturbed
Favourite meal: Cheese and leek soup
Favourite animal: Siberian Husky
What I would take on a desert island: Diving gear and a HAM radio
Coldest place visited before the Antarctic: My own garden in winter
Favourite movie character: Jack O’Neill
Must-have for Neumayer: Slippers and a piece of individual outdoor clothing