Funding Provided for Students to Experience Arctic Adventures

Newfoundland and Labrador student Michael Gardiner joined the Honourable Darin King Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, recently to provide an update on his experience at the 2011 Students on Ice Arctic Expedition. Through a scholarship of $18,022, Michael had the opportunity to travel through the Arctic coasts with scientists, polar experts, biologists and other professionals to study and learn about the Polar Regions. The expedition took place from July 23 to August 7 last year.

“Opportunities like this are vitally important for our youth,” said Minister King. “These experiences open doors for our youth and expose them to an environment that is both dynamic and full of prospects. They get an opportunity to represent Newfoundland and Labrador and encourage other young people to become involved in marine-related careers, which are becoming increasingly important to the future of our province.”

Michael Gardiner is currently in his first year of studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland. When he applied for the expedition, he had recently graduated from Holy Trinity Regional High School in Torbay, where he participated in a variety of extracurricular activities and won numerous awards. He was a leader with his school environmental group, Friends of the Gulley. He was a member of the jazz and concert bands, and was a recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award for his volunteerism. Michael led his class with the highest marks in chemistry, and won the Horizons Scholarship for showing leadership potential. He also won both the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship and the Dr. Leslie Harris scholarship for his extracurricular and academic achievements. On top of all this, he is also an avid food bank volunteer.

There were a total of 120 students and 50 educational staff from across Canada and around the world who participated in the expedition. The journey began in Toronto. From there, the group travelled to Iceland to board the expedition vessel, the MV Clipper Adventurer. From Iceland, they explored the coasts of Greenland, Labrador and Nunavik (Northern Quebec) and other communities in that region.

During the trip, Michael was given a learning experience outside the ordinary. He learned about the regions through various presentations, lectures, workshops, hands-on activities and instruction topics that took place while on the expedition.

“After participating in this extraordinary trip, I now realize how connected the earth really is,” said Mr. Gardiner. “If you do something across the world, it affects something near here. Everything you do on earth has an effect everywhere. The expedition was a life-changing experience for me and I am very appreciative of the Provincial Government’s support in making it happen.”

Students were chosen based on established criteria such as being in high school at the time of the application, having a demonstrated passion for and interest in the Polar Regions, and having a commitment to a mandatory education or research activity prior to and during the expedition.

The Provincial Government supports a number of initiatives aimed at stimulating youth engagement in fishing and aquaculture annually. They include: the Dr. Wilfred Templeman Memorial Scholarship for graduate students; the Fisheries and Aquaculture Scholarship, aimed at high school students; and, support for student placements at the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research at the Marine Institute. The Provincial Government, through the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, has provided approximately $100,000 to youth education in the past two years, including $29,000 to the Students on Ice Arctic Expedition since 2010.

More information on the expedition can be found by visiting
www.studentsonice.com/arctic2011/index.html . 

- 30 -

Photo: Michael Gardiner, 2011 Students on Ice Arctic Expedition participant, (left) joined the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, recently to present photos to the minister taken during the July 23 to August 7 trip that explored the coasts of Greenland, Labrador and Nunavik (Northern Quebec) and other communities in that region. Mr. Gardiner was supported financially for the expedition by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Media contacts:

2012 01 16             9:45 a.m.