Bathurst youth to study climate change in the Arctic
A Bathurst youth is going on an arctic expedition to learn more about climate change.
Travis Payne, 18, has been selected for an all expenses paid trip to participate in a expedition to the Arctic. The program, called Students On Ice (SOI), involves 60 students and roughly 30 chaperones from Canada, the United States, South America, Oceania, Asia and Europe, who will spend four weeks in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik sailing the Arctic waters.
"I've never seen the arctic and very few people get to go up there," said the son of Darrell and Dana Payne of Bathurst. "It's just to get to see the area, learn about it and meet people from all over the world."
The expedition, being held July 29 to Aug. 13, will explore the northern reaches of Nunavik, and the southern and eastern parts Baffin Island, Nunavut. The purpose of the trip is to provide students, educators and scientists from around the world with inspiring educational opportunities to help foster a new understanding and respect for the planet.
"We're living on a boat for two weeks, a big ice breaker, oil tanker type of boat," explained Mr. Payne, a 2009 Bathurst High School graduate. "We do day excursions using small zodiac boats and then we go onto the land and collect samples and learn about the rocks, wildlife of the region and the culture. We'll met up with some local people, the Inuit, that live there.
"Then the boat has a laboratory so there will be research done on the boat and sessions done with 30 scientists. We'll be in classes and so forth."
BHS vice-principal Shawn MacDonald recommended the SOI program to Mr. Payne. Mr. Payne applied and based on his academic standing and volunteering record, he was selected for the program on a scholarship.
"I applied through the Youth Science Foundation of Canada and I was selected. They select one per province on a scholarship for the expedition and I won the scholarship," he said noting that the trip costs roughly $9,000.
This expedition focuses on the arctic because of recent arctic warming and the consequences this has on the world. According to the SOI website, the hope of this program is to raise awareness globally about the impacts of climate change and other environmental issues facing the Arctic Regions.
"Never has there been a more critical need to expose the youth of world to what is happening in the Arctic, the "canary in the coal mine" and cornerstone of our global environment, and to inspire them to be future leaders and stewards for our planet. Inspiring our youth, empowering their voice as a vehicle for change, and helping create a needed paradigm shift in our environmental ethos is just part of what we hope to achieve," reads a statement from the SOI website.
Mr. Payne said he's been aware of climate change for a number of years and he's thrilled to be able to learn more through this trip.
"I'd like to obviously learn about the Arctic and how we're affecting it. That's the main goal of the trip to show global warming and so forth. It's one of the goals to show us how here in Canada and all over the world how global warming is affecting the people up there and the environment.
"I never imaged I would be going until I was accepted. I never thought I would get this opportunity to go this far north," he added.
Following this trip, Mr. Payne will be attending the University of New Brunswick this fall to study mechanical engineering.
SOURCE : James Mallory, The Northern Light
