Mindy Bell grew up on an island in southeast Minnesota. Swimming in algae-laden waters, ice-skating around beaver lodges, and watching the wetlands come to life in the spring were instrumental in her decision to study science. Her liberal arts education at Carleton College included a term studying marine science on Catalina Island and at Hopkins Marine Station, where her fascination with marine life was fueled, yet her passion was for teaching rather than scientific research. After graduation, she took the ferry to Alaska and started teaching. After five years of teaching grade 7 to 12 science in Skagway, Alaska, and running a school fish hatchery, she attended the University of Washington in Seattle and earned a Masters degree in Biology Education. Ms. Bell now lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she teaches secondary science at the Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy.

Stacy Kim is an adjunct professor at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in central California. She completed her Bachelors degree at UCLA and her Ph.D at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Dr. Kim studies benthic ecology – how animals that live on and in the seafloor interact in communities. She hopes that this project, which links biology and engineering, will set an example for students of how different interests and skills can merge to solve a single set of problems. Dr. Kim has previously hosted a teacher in Antarctica through the ARMADA/TEA program. The experience taught her how better to connect with younger students and enhanced her education and outreach efforts with local schools and clubs. She hopes in particular to engage women and minorities in fields where they are traditionally underrepresented.

The team was working in the waters around McMurdo Station, Antarctica. McMurdo is the largest station in Antarctica with more than 100 buildings, a harbor, landing strip and helicopter pad. More than 1000 people live and work at McMurdo Station during the austral summer!