It was a great treat to have a former pupil back in school to give an insight into her rather unique line of work.

Alison Cook (FP 1994) is a Geographer, specialising in Cartography.  She works with British Antarctic Survey (BAS) as part of the small team who map the Antarctic continent. The team is called MAGIC (Mapping and Geographic Information Centre).  She has spent two seasons on Antarctica in the past five years and is about to head south in January 2009 for another season of fieldwork and information gathering.

Researching and compiling maps of places which have not yet been mapped is an exciting and challenging life.  Flying over the ices sheets in twin otter planes, landing on ice ways, travelling in Skidoos, climbing mountains no one has been on before, skiing across the ice, living with penguins and rather vicious seals are all part and parcel of her work in Antarctica.  The BAS research station is based in Rothera and, during the Antarctic summer, is home to about 100 scientists (Geographers, Geologists, Biologists, Meteorologists).

Alison gave Form I classes a wonderful insight into the sheer size and diversity of the continent.  Did you know it was 58 times the size of the UK, the highest, driest, windiest and coldest continent in the world?  Many of our pupils were keen to show how much they knew (or thought they knew) about this vast wilderness and were keen to ask questions throughout the presentation.

She enthralled us all by telling stories of how sometimes workers can get trapped in tents for several days during severe storms and how difficult doing basic things like washing and going to the toilet become.  Other days it is wall to wall blue sky and field work can be done in the sunshine and peace and quiet that is Antarctica.

What does she miss whilst living In Antarctica?  Fresh fruit, vegetables, and green landscapes.  When she is back in Britain what does she miss about Antarctica?  The space, peace and tranquillity!