ABOUT ANTARCTICA 2022

Between December 16, 2022 and January 4, 2023, thirteen students from Arizona State University embarked on a transformative journey to the island of South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula under the leadership of faculty members Nicole Mayberry and Andrew Maynard, and through a program offered by AUIP (American Universities International Programs Ltd.). 

Over nearly three intense weeks aboard the expedition ship Ocean Victory (along with over 170 other passengers and an experienced expedition crew) they experienced some of the most remote and remarkable ecosystems and environments on Planet Earth.

On the way they visited the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), experienced the unique wildlife and conservation environment of South Georgia reverse-traced Earnest Shackleton’s historic voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia in a desperate attempt to rescue his stranded Trans-Antarctic expedition crew, explored the breathtaking coast and islands of Antarctic Peninsula, visited the South Shetland Islands, and sailed back over the notorious Drake Passage. Along with some of the most stunning scenery in the world, they had remarkable close-up encounters with seals, penguins, wales, and a multitude of sea birds, in ways that few people get to experience. 

But this wasn’t simply a journey to remote places and remarkable flora and fauna. It was also one of self-discovery as the students and their faculty leads lived with a small group of people under extreme conditions for nearly three weeks. 

The expedition was part of ASU’s Global Intensive Experiences program — a program of intense study abroad experiences that are carried out in breaks between study while being being integrated with for-credit courses. It included students from in-person degree programs and those from online programs; undergraduates and graduate students; students in their 20’s and students who were considerably older; single students and students with families; students with very different identities and social, economic and ethnic backgrounds; and students with interests as diverse as accountancy, astrophysics, and acting, to conservation biology, sustainability, and biotechnology. In other words, it was a community of students that exemplify ASU’s commitment to inclusive and transformative learning that transcends conventional ideas and boundaries.          

The expedition was the culmination of a semester of learning about every aspect of the ‘frozen continent,” from its history and politics, to its geology, environment, wildlife and ecosystems, and its environmental, political and societal impact on the world more broadly. By journeying to the continent in person, students were able to contextualize and build on the semester through a unique form of experiential learning.

This learning drew heavily on the experience of living in close quarters with other students, passengers and crew under extreme conditions, while experiencing some of the most remote and remarkable places on the planet. This was very much a multifaceted journey of discovery for participants as they were challenged intellectually, socially, and personally, and as they were transformed through their experiences.

While exploring ways of reflecting this experience, Sarah Shick (one of the cohort) proposed creating a virtual gallery that would allow others to explore and experience the journey we experienced from multiple different perspectives. This is that gallery.    

This virtual gallery sets out to capture these experiences and the many different journeys of discovery they represent. They range from personal reflections to photo essays, articles, and even audio recordings. Individually they provide glimpses into how the experience touched and transformed everyone who was a part of it. Together, they illuminate the unique ability of this form of experiential leaning to transform participants in ways that are rarely if ever possible through conventional approaches — and the importance of opening up opportunities like this for students to experience first-hand and learn from some of the most remote, remarkable, and relevant, places on Earth.