EAPSI: Extreme Environments and the Production of Knowledge: The History of Antarctic Science during the International Geophysical Year

Mccahey Daniella, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

In the mid-20th century, Antarctic research exploded at an international level, beginning largely with the start of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-58. However, the extreme environment of Antarctica greatly impacted the way that research scientists made observations, conducted their research, or even lived their daily lives. Using New Zealand?s Scott Base in the Ross Sea region as a model, this project uses methods from science and technology studies and the history of science to investigate how the material environment of Antarctica contributed to the production of scientific knowledge during the IGY, as well as the unique ways that scientists negotiated with these environmental factors. This research will be conducted at the University of Canterbury under the mentorship of Dr. Daniela Liggett, a noted social scientist in the field of polar studies. This project will contribute to the development of research methods that take into account the historical contingencies of scientific work as well as document the origins of important research in Antarctic earth systems science. This project will be an analysis of New Zealand science in the Antarctic from World War II through the Cold War, focusing primarily on the IGY. While the interaction between science, technology, and the environment is dynamic in many settings, it is often most readily apparent in extreme environments. In the Antarctic, scientists were frequently forced to use behavioral and technological adaptations in the harsh conditions in order to produce useful data in a region that mostly unexplored. By examining Scott Base, the investigator will be able identify what aspects of scientific practice in regards to environmental hazards are cultural, versus what may have some universality. Additionally, using the method of historical ethnography through scrutinizing personal accounts, logistical archives, scientific reports, and newspaper coverage, this research will show what methods succeeded and failed in the long term. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Royal Society of New Zealand.