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> 08-31-05: Karina & Fredrik
Ute_Kaden
post Sep 2 2005, 07:59 PM
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Karina & Fredrik
8-31-05


Getting to know our high school students onboard of the USCGC Healy, Karina and Fredrik from Norway

The classroom without windows

When I came to Texas, I found myself teaching in a classroom without windows. It felt like I am in a box not knowing is the sun up or is it raining …disconnected from the outside world. It turned out that science education seems to take place in rooms without windows… Science facts are often taught disconnected from real life applications, meaningless to our young students. Scientists seem to be aliens and what they do is unknown to the public-classrooms without windows.
The young people need to be given real challenges and real opportunities; they need to be given a hot-house environment to create and innovate, learn from mistakes, and infect others with their enthusiasm. Here onboard the USCGC Healy leading scientists actively mentor young students, creating such an environment.
The photos of Yngve Kristofferson (Chief Scientist Seismic, University of Bergen, Norway), the mentor for Karina and Fredrik, speak for themselves. The classroom is the ship, science books are available right next to the workplace and we all are the teachers for our young students. Way to go! This classroom does not need windows. Why? Our ship does not have walls to the outside world.


Karina and Fredrik learn English in High School as their second language. They wrote everything themselves!

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Name: Karina Monsen
From: Norway
Age: 17

Karina.Monsen@healy.polarscience.net

My name is Karina Monsen, I'm from Norway, and for the moment I'm a part of a group of 8 Norwegians heading towards the North Pole with the U.S. coast guard ice breaker Healy. I live in a small town at the top of Norway called Alta. The town's population is about 18 000 people, and it's situated right below 70 degrees north.
I'm 17 years old, turning 18 in October (and the youngest person on this ship), and starting my last year in high school this fall. Alta Videregaaende Skole, where I attend school, has about 800 students, and is the biggest upper secondary school in the county of Finnmark.

The reason why I'm on this ship is because one day, late April, one of the chief scientists, Yngve Kristoffersen (head of the seismic team), came to my school to have a science talk. He talked about his field of work, what he does and how. He also said that on this expedition, he wanted to bring two H.S.-students, one already chosen from a school in Larvik, in the south of Norway. The recruiting in geophysics in Norway is very low, and by doing this he is hoping to create more interests to science of the Polar Regions. He wanted a student from Alta because he himself is from that area, and he thought it would be fun to bring a student from "back home". Well, after talking to some students, he chose me out of only 4 who were interested and capable of being away for that period of time. Why, I don't know, I only know that I'm very happy for being chosen and for having the opportunity to go on an once-in-a-lifetime-expedition like this. It's not exactly every day one gets a chance to go visit Santa Claus. smile.gif

I work with the seismic team as a watchstander making sure that the real time data coming from the depth of the ocean gets logged correctly. From the beginning of my watch at 5:30 AM, until I'm finished at 5:30 PM, I've done a load of things, so it's almost never any "dead time". Every day I have a period of time when I have to watch computer screens, checking if everything is doing OK and updating. I am doing minor adjustments or crying for help if nothing works. When we are shooting seismic, I usually spend the rest of the day out on deck working, repairing the gear, etc. I've also got an assignment from Yngve to film everything of significance to us, so that when we get home to Norway we can make a documentary about the HOTRAX 05. And in between all of this I try to get as much schoolwork done as possible, since school has already started at home.

I have no idea what I want to do after finishing H.S., I'll just have to go with the flow and see what happens. But after spending about 4 weeks aboard the Healy, I've found out that science is absolutely something that I could do in the future. Maybe not exactly like this, but something similar. Science is kind of fun, and almost every day something new and exciting happens, not to mention the science-parties=)

Karina

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Name: Fredrik Ludvigsen
From: Larvik, Norway
Age: 18

Fredrik.Ludvigsen@healy.polarscience.net

How did I get this opportunity?

I went to Thor Heyerdahl Videregaaende Skole and the second year I chose math, physics, biology and the brand new experimental "scientific research" subject. At the end of my last year (out of three), one of my research-teachers, asked everybody in my class if anyone wanted to join. Nobody raised their hand and most of the students already had come in to universities or had other plans. So did I. My plan was to either move to Trondheim and study engineering or join "His majesty the kings guard" and the music division there. Their Norwegian name is "Hans Majestet Kongen's Garde's Musikk- og Drill-kontigent". In March, I had to come to Oslo to test-play on my Clarinet to qualify. I got in and I am supposed to begin there 3. Oct. When I heard that they did not begin before that, I asked my Research-teacher if it still was possible for me to join the North Pole expedition. And it was.
This expedition is kind of an extension to that school subject for me. I'm here to learn (even though I get 15 000 NOK for it :-). By the way I work for a Norwegian professor from Bergen, Yngve Kristoffersen. He wanted people from the "science research" class in order to increase the reputation to geophysics.

Plans for the future:
First the kings guard in Oslo, then NTNU (university of Trondheim). I will study cybernetics (robotics) if everything sticks to the plan. I have already got in, but I'm still not 100% sure if that's my final choice, because my girlfriend lives in Larvik by now, and perhaps for 2 more years after this one.

My job on the ship:
I'm mostly just a watch stander. I push a few buttons; write a small amount of data, and help repairing simple things when needed. I also helped setting up some of the logging-PC's at the beginning, but that job is over by now. And last but not least, I try to film as much as possible.

Fredrik
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Lill Berit Strøm
post Sep 5 2005, 07:48 PM
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tongue.gif Hei Karina! Ser ut til at du har det artig? Alt ved det gamle her. Lill Berit
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