EVENT DATE: March 11, 2004
TOPIC: Mission Antarctica

Sandy Nelson provided an interesting personal perspective of the situation respecting a massive environmental clean-up effort in Antarctica based on her trip as part of a group of essay-writing winners on the subject.  She related the role of Robert Swann, the British driving force behind the monumental effort, to the challenges and accomplishments.  Through the means of slides with embedded video clips, Sandy entertained the audience with a wide range of insights into the environment and wildlife (e.g. Minke whales, elephant seals, Weddel seals, and penguins) of Antarctica.  She described her experiences at the Ukrainian Base of Vernadsky, and of her voyages on the sailing ship “2041” from Puerto Williams Chile to that Antarctic base.  Overall, Sandy captivated the attendees with her fascinating descriptions augmented by her personally-gathered photos and videos.  The environmental aspects of this Antarctic area were an effective eye-opener to many in the audience.

Summary by Bruce Morris