Researcher Egbert Schwartz and PolarTREC teacher Justin Kendhammer will travel to the Dry Valleys of Antarctica in search of life in the seemingly barren soil. One of the questions they will attempt to answer is whether microbes in the soil are native to Antarctic soil or whether they have been blown onto the continent from elsewhere in the world.
This article in the suburban Chicago newspaper The Daily Herald, describes the WISSARD project and it's science objectives. The article highlights the work of NIU professor Dr. Ross Powell, John Winans, and graduate student Timothy Hodson.
An article from the Mooresville Weekly, Mooresville, North Carolina, on Mike LeBarons upcoming departure to McMurdo Station to work on the WISSARD Project with researcher Ross Powell of Northern Illinois University.