Join your study leaders in the ship’s presentation room with state-of-art audio-visual equipment for lectures and seminars on a variety of topics. While on Zodiac excursions and landings, your study leaders provide insights and context to our explorations.
Philippe Tortell is a Professor of Oceanography at UBC, and Head of the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. He has conducted oceanographic research expeditions around the world from the Arctic to the Antarctic with several expeditions to the Ross, Weddell and Amundsen Seas, and extended deployments at Palmer Station on the West Antarctic Peninsula. He has worked with several organizations across Canada to help share the results of his work with broad public audiences, and has edited several popular books, including Earth 2020: An Insider’s Guide to a Rapidly Changing Planet. Philippe was a study leader aboard our 2022 expedition to Antarctica with the Falklands and South Georgia.
Philippe Tortell hosted a webinar, "Ships, Satellites and Super-Computers: How We Understand the Southern Ocean". Watch the recording here. (34 min. + Q&A)
Bruno Tremblay is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill University. His current research focuses on sea ice and snow at high latitudes and their effect on global climate and climate change. Bruno will discuss ice sheet history, observed and projected sea ice trends from both poles. Bruno was previously a study leader with us aboard our 2018 Antarctic voyage.
Bruno Tremblay is hosting a webinar, 'Antarctic and Arctic Sea Ice: A Story of Differences' on November 23 at 2:00 PM ET. Register here.
Bruno Tremblay is hosting a webinar, 'Antarctic and Arctic Sea Ice: A Story of Differences' on November 23 at 2:00 PM ET. Register here.
Brent Sinclair is a Professor of Biology at Western University. His research on the physiology and ecology of insects and other arthropods has led him to spend more than a year of his life in the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic. He has served as the President of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, and is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Current Research in Insect Science. Brent will discuss the biology of cold-blooded Antarctic animals and their adaptations, and their prospects for persisting in a rapidly changing climate.
Brent Sinclair is hosting a webinar, 'Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic: The Small Stuff' on December 5, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET. Register here.
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Quest Naturalists and staff:
Justin Peter is a principal of Worldwide Quest and Director of its Quest Nature Tours and Alumni Expeditions branches. A Member of the Board of Birds Canada and past Senior Park Naturalist at Ontario’s renown Algonquin Park, he has an encyclopedia knowledge of natural history. Returning on his fourth Antarctic voyage, Justin will lead our evening re-cap sessions.
Catherine Jardine is an avid naturalist and traveller who follows her considerable interests in wildlife worldwide. A superlative communicator of the natural world, Catherine works as staff ornithologist with Birds Canada, based at the organization’s National Data Centre in Delta, BC. She has conducted field projects in remote locations around the world and is the Bander-in-Charge at the Iona Island Bird Observatory. Catherine brings expertise in seabirds developed through her field work and previous Antarctic voyages.
Marc Webber is a marine mammal specialist with an undergraduate and graduate degree from San Francisco State University. He has worked as a biologist and refuge manager for non-profit organizations and the US government for his entire career in many places. He has also worked at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Among his better-known works is a major book he co-auhtored, a fantastic work called Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification. It is now in its second edition.
Wendi Lacusta is our Concierge in Charge. Hailing from Nova Scotia where she grew up sailing and open ocean swimming, Wendi has lived many years since on Canada’s West Coast, where she is retired from a career of teaching, designing public recreation facilities and managing community service teams in West Vancouver. Wendi is an inveterate (and veteran) solo world traveller and since her first retirement, has also undertaken work aboard polar expedition cruise vessels.
Our Epic Antarctica with the Falklands & South Georgia expedition, October 24 – November 13, 2024, will be an amazing opportunity to learn about this part of the world. Click here to learn more.
