Research

Published: 12.02.08

The granddaughter of one of Britain's most famous explorers, Ernest Shackleton, will revisit the memoirs of the Antarctic explorer 100 years on at a conference to be held at the University of Brighton on 20 February 2008.

The conference, Polar Environments – past, present and future, will be opened by Hon Alexandra Shackleton, who will be giving university students, sixth form pupils and the public a rare insight into the explorer's Nimrod expedition to the then unclaimed South Pole.

Joining Alexandra Shackleton on the day will be a host of worldwide experts exploring many aspects of the polar region. The conference marks the International Polar Year 2007- 08, an internationally coordinated campaign for polar science research which was established in 1882-83.

Guest speaker, Captain Stuart Lawrence, will draw on his distinguished career spanning 30 years as ship's master on the royal research ships which travel months each year to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) operation base in Antarctica.

Sharing his expertise from the university's School of Environment and Technology will be lecturer Dr Colin Whiteman. He will be joined by fellow academics Dr Chris Hauton, from the University of Southampton, who served as a scientist on the British Antarctic Survey vessel; Dr Michael Bravo, lecturer in geography at the University of Cambridge; Dr Richard Powell, lecturer in human geography at the University of Liverpool; and Dr Ken Atkinson from the University of Leeds.

Offering real-life accounts of Arctic expeditions will be Adam Munthe, leader of a unique dog-sledding expedition across Finnmark, Norway. He will be joined by Hugh Montgomery, who was a member of the diving team that raised the Mary Rose from the Solent in 1982 and has climbed in the Alps, Himalayas and Andes.

There will also be a live link-up to Antarctica, with a rare performance from the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station's very own rock band, Nunatak. The five-man band is part of a science team investigating climate change and evolutional biology on the Antarctic Peninsula. Nunatak made its global debut on TV and the internet as part of the Live Earth concerts to raise awareness of climate change in 2007.

Alexandra Shackleton said: "Worldwide, the recognition of Ernest Shackleton only continues to grow stronger for the way he led his men. I am delighted to be speaking to such a wide audience at the University of Brighton."

The one-day conference will be held at the School of Environment and Technology, Moulsecoomb on 20 February 2008 in association with Sussex Setpoint. Please email m.j.allen@brighton.ac.uk if you would like to attend.