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Associate Professor of Biology Mike McCormick delivered a seminar talk about his work in Antarctica on Oct. 23 at Castleton University. He spoke at the invitation of one of his first Hamilton thesis advisees, Andy Vermilyea ’04, who is now an assistant professor of environmental science at Castleton.

Three longtime members of Hamilton’s science faculty retired during the last academic year. Eugene Domack, Timothy Elgren and Ernest Williams had a combined 79 years of service at Hamilton.

On Oct. 27, Alexander Hare ’14 and Isabelle “Izzy” Weisman ’15 sailed to Antarctica to continue ongoing research initiated by Eugene Domack, the J.W. Johnson Family Professor of Geosciences and director of Larsen Ice Shelf System – Antarctica (LARISSA), a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded and Hamilton College supported initiative. Domack’s former student, Amelia Shevenell ’96, is serving as chief scientist on this cruise.

Deanna Nappi ’15 was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal by the National Science Foundation. Nappi served aboard the L.M. Gould in October 2012 during a challenging expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula.

Six Hamilton Geoscience students participated in a National Science Foundation- and University of Tasmania-supported short course from  June 27 to June 29 in Hobart, Tasmania. The course was focused on teaching the introductory steps in processing continuous global positioning system (GPS) data strings from the U.S. Antarctic LARISSA cGPS network. This network was installed in the last four years as part of the LARsen Ice Shelf System Antarctica project and was, in part, installed with the assistance of Hamilton students.

Associate Professor of Biology Michael McCormick directed a group of four students on an adventure to Antarctica in 2012. They were part of a LARISSA expedition led by Principal Investigator Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professor of Environmental Studies.  Andrew Seraichick ’13 was one of the students who explored and sampled the ocean waters that are now accessible after the Larson A ice shelves disintegrated.

On Thursday, April 11, 18 members of the LARISSA (Larsen Ice Shelf System Antarctica) science team and 26 additional scientists from the Korean Polar Research Institute sailed from  Chile toward the Antarctic Peninsula on the Korean Icebreaker Research Vessel ARAON. Among the LARISSA researchers are Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professorship of Environmental Studies, and his former advisee, alumnus Andrew Christ ’11, who is providing continuing information and images throughout the expedition

Research conducted on a 57-day expedition along the Antarctic Peninsula in 2010 led by Eugene Domack, the J.W. Johnson Family Professor of Geosciences, was the focus of a Dec. 12 article in the journal Nature. “Polar research: Trouble bares its claws” provided an overview of the changing ecological balance in the waters off Antarctica due to warming waters, highlighting Domack’s measurement of temperature changes during the last three decades.

Eugene Domack, The J.W. Johnson Family Professor of Geosciences at Hamilton, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

Hamilton students are now pursuing their studies on all seven continents. On Oct. 10, Chief Scientist Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professorship of Environmental Studies, began an 18-day cruise to Antarctica along with two Hamilton students and two alumni. Students are writing blog updates about their trip each day.