Sticks and stones may break my bones, but science will never leave me!

“Scientists tell us that the fastest animal on earth, with a top speed of 120 feet per second, is a cow that has been dropped out of a helicopter.”

"Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition." ~Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776

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~ by Kat Jansen

There are times in life where you are forced to stop and, with some profanity, exclaim how lucky you are. Being a research technician at the CNSC I am fortunate to have this experience relatively frequently. One such moment occurred last week when I headed via helicopter into Wapusk National Park to do some maintenance on a meteorological station at Roberge Lake (located about 150km south east of Churchill). To make the most of the helicopter trip we were also picking up some caribou tracking collars that were scattered along the coast from wolf kills. Accompanied by a Parks Canada employee and a Manitoba Conservation officer (and obviously a pilot- I’m skilled but not that skilled) we headed out into some nice, followed by some not so nice weather. Flying through snow in a machine that defies the law of gravity is always an entertaining and interesting experience.




Another of such grin inducing, moments of natural high occurred just the other day. We were lucky to have a few hours of sunshine and next to no wind where Krista and I headed out to the fen to check on her flux station. With the weather as beautiful as it was we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take the quad for a spin. Now for those of you who have had the pleasure of working in the fen, you most likely remember it as a soggy, smelly place. Not so much this time of year. Everything has frozen and there is a small amount of snow which turns Twin Lakes road into a white, (almost) winter wonderland! It was a perfect hiatus from the hustle and bustle of bear season and a return to the season of drive-up science (YES) (and maybe some playing on the ice as well).

Now these past few weeks of awesome science moments have not been all sunshine and roses. As safety officer I took it upon myself to analyze the level of difficulty is performing daily research technician tasks one handed. Left handed to be exact, and I am definitely not ambidextrous! In a freak woodcutting accident on Thanksgiving weekend (actually no, I’m just awkward and clumsy), I managed to tear a ligament in my thumb leaving me in a cast for the next 6 weeks or so. Now in another season I probably could have tolerated this a bit better but its getting cold in Churchill now and there is snow. It is incredibly difficult finding a warm glove that will fit over a cast, and tying laces on boots? Forget that!

However with practice, assistance from wonderful friends and coworkers, and 3 casts later I’m finding that it is not so difficult. Yes my thumb is perpetually cold and my field notes require something akin to the Rosetta Stone to decipher, however one can manage as a scientist with only one hand, provided there is no manual dexterity required. It has given me a crucial lesson in patience and teamwork!

Oh and yes I can still provide adequate bear security services, but I did get some great looks from the casting technicians in Winnipeg when I asked to have my cast shortened so I could handle a firearm... and better still the colour (hot pink) and eventually the smell will keep those bears at bay.