In celebration of International Women's Day and our 40th Anniversary of Women in The Explorers Club - a line of up of four very cool women who have incredible experiences in Antarctica will each share a bit about their journey into the field. We will celebrate their achievements, acknowledge the people that paved the way, and look to the future. All four women have a wide range of skills - from skiing, to science administration experience, and even geological features named after them!
Hosted by Women's 40 Committee Member and Polar Film Festival Chair Sarah Bouckoms MI'10 - streaming live on explorers.org, our YouTube channel, and our Facebook Live on Monday, March 8 at 7:00 pm ET.
Dr. Rita Colwell FN'98
Dr. Rita Colwell is Distinguished University Professor both at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Global Science Officer and Chairman of CosmosID, Inc. She served as the 11th Director of the National Science Foundation, 1998-2004, and her interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health
Dr. Colwell has held many advisory positions in the U.S. Government, nonprofit science policy organizations, and private foundations, as well as in the international scientific research community. She has authored or co-authored 17 books and more than 800 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning film "Invisible Seas", and has served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals.
Dr. Colwell has been awarded 58 honorary degrees, and is the recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, the 2006 National Medal of Science, and the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize. A geological site in Antarctica, Colwell Massif, has been named in recognition of her work in the Polar Regions.
Sunniva Sorby MI'19
As the first Canadian woman to complete the crossing of Greenland, ski to the South Pole and over winter in the Arctic for “Hearts in the Ice” (HITI), Sunniva Sorby understands extremes through resilience, risk-taking, exploration, change, and collaboration. The 2-woman team of HITI spent 14 months in the remote trappers cabin “Bamsebu” collecting data for international researchers studying climate change in the Polar Regions. HITI was started in 2018 as a global platform for dialogue, engagement, education and inspiration around climate change and the role each person can play.
Sunniva is a Senior Polar Tourism Guide, Polar Ambassador, Fellow- RCGS ( Royal Canadian Geographical Society), Member and Chair BC/Yukon Explorers Club , Member- SWG ( Society of Women Geographers), Fellow and Flag Carrier for Wings World Quest. In September 2020 Sunniva was awarded the Distinguished Alumnae award from Trafalgar School for Girls in Montreal, Canada.
Hannah McKeand MN'11
Hannah McKeand is a Guinness World Record holding polar guide and expeditioner. She is a highly respected expedition consultant, public speaker, award-winning travel writer, and founder of Polar Expedition Training LLC. In 2006 McKeand set a world speed record for skiing solo and unsupported to the South Pole, a journey of 690 miles that she completed in 39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes. She went on to complete six expeditions to the South Pole and over 6000 miles of Antarctic sled-hauling, more than anyone else in the world today. She has also undertaken expeditions on the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, South America, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Namibia, Afghanistan and the Amazon and she has sailed around the world. She works full time as a polar field guide, logistics consultant, and motivational speaker.
Kristin Larson FN'02
Kristin Larson spent a decade in Antarctica managing the largest, most diverse scientific research program on the continent, during a period of time when women in Antarctic leadership roles was novel. Her time spent south of 70 degrees interpreting and implementing the complex legal framework governing Antarctica - an entire continent without sovereigns - inspired Kristin to augment her two chemistry degrees with a juris doctor. Kristin Larson’s Antarctic tenure was recognized by the naming of “Kristin Peak” (a mountain on Ross Island, Antarctica) in her honor.
Sarah Bouckoms MI'10 - Host
Sarah Bouckoms has a background in Physics working with the Ice Cube Neutrino Detector, a Postgraduate Degree in Antarctica Studies, and has done field work in Antarctica, the Arctic, and Alaska. She spent several years as a high school science teacher in Farmington Connecticut working at an all-girls boarding school, where she started a Climate Change semester elective. Bouckoms also helped redesign the freshman science program to include Environmental Lab Science, a student-centered multidisciplinary class with environmental themes and hands-on labs.
Sarah is a member of The Explorers Club, the Women's 40 Committee, helps run the Club's Polar Film Festival, and is certified as an EMT and Wilderness EMT. She is currently the Public Engagement Officer for the Antarctic Heritage Trust in New Zealand.
