R.I. student ready to set sail to Canadian Arctic
Coventry junior to take part in the Northwest Passage Project
COVENTRY — Coventry High School junior, Sabrina Peltier, is embarking on a journey of discovery this summer.
Tiffany Risch, Science teacher at Coventry High School, offered her students this incredible once in a lifetime opportunity. Peltier entered an essay and application for participation in The Northwest Passage Project for two weeks this summer. The Northwest Passage is in the Canadian Arctic.
Peltier, a State Science Fair participant, will be aboard the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry sailing a transit shipping route in the Canadian Arctic. A route that has been near impassable for around 100 years due to ice sheets covering the ocean.
Recent warmer summers have melted the ice in the Northwest Passage. Scientists estimate that with in mere decades all of the ice will be gone. They say that it will have drastic impacts on ecological and oceanic conditions within the Arctic itself and the world over. This educational trip will be a means to try and answer some of the big questions and hot topics of climate change as observed scientifically in this physical area of action, by the crew. They will be there to observe, collect data and document their findings. This will help us to understand more about our changing environment and seek to solve directly related issues.
“This will be the first modern tall ship in 100 years to use this shipping route” says Peltier. The Oliver Hazard Perry is the first ship built to these specifications for this sort of excursion in the United States in over 100 years. The ship’s length is 200 feet with an over all height of three and a half stories it has three masts and 20 sails.
Many dream of such an adven- ture on the high seas and few if any ever have the means or privilege to be there. The Oliver Hazard Perry is a working boat, which means the students and the other members of the research team are also the crew of the ship.
“So we will be learning how to sail while on the ship as well as conduct our research,” says Peltier. The students will be learning hands on aboard the vessel and when on land. They will also be helping to broadcast live while in the Arctic with the on board documentary crew of David Clarke, Inc.
The team will be doing “groundbreaking research work on the sailing school vessel,” says Risch, which is the largest for civilians in the United States. “Students will be paired with scientists on the vessel studying biology, chemistry including ice dating and physics of ocean currents,” says Peltier.
There are two legs of this journey ranging from two or two and a half weeks each.
The first part of the journey is from July 28 until Aug. 11, from Pond Inlet to Resolute Bay. The final leg is from Aug. 11 until Aug. 27, from Resolute Bay to Cambridge Bay and is the longer portion. The vessel will carry 70 people from media and documentary crews to scientists and other professionals. All will be students of the experience on this historic documented voyage. There are unprecedented modern day scientific maritime discoveries waiting for the world in the wonders of the Northwest Passage. The Oliver Hazard Perry and her crew will traverse three time zones and explore the possibilities in fifteen different locations.
There are nine students from all over the country that were selected to take part in this historic journey to the northern most ice caps. These lucky few were given the opportunity to apply for this scientific endeavor that allows students to “see how real world problems are being tackled hands on and be able to participate in that mastery,” says Risch. The teacher and student reminisced on the news of Peltiers’ acceptance for the expedition and said that they could not believe it and yet could believe it all at once. “I was very excited to be able to tell Sabrina that she was accepted for the trip,” says Risch.
“I tell my kids to think like scientists and now Sabrina actually gets to be one and that is just everything that I want for the students,” says Risch.
“The Northwest Passage Project is funded by the National Science Foundation and is a collaborative effort facilitated by the Innerspace Center at University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography located on Narragansett Bay Campus,” says Peltier.
The Northwest Passage Project Coordinator is Andrea Gingras of URI GSO.