Pleased to know I'm coming along, I washed all the dishes up and made a swift exit to get to my meeting. It turned out to be a really rotten morning, weatherwise, with large cumulonimbus clouds hovering above, and persistant rain that made me extremely wet by the time I had made my way to the west ridge of the university. Today I would be meeting Kazuyuki Saito, a scientist working in the International Arctic Research Centre. Our meeting was very productive; I will transcribe the notes soon. He's currently working to create better models to map permafrost distribution but presently he is out in the field, planting temperature probes into the soil profile, across an area called Poker Flats. I've even got myself another field trip; tomorrow, I'm going with him to assist with this work, which I'm quite looking forward to, as you can imagine.
Leaving the meeting, I met my good ol' friend Mr Rain again. Persistant as usual, showing no sign of moving on, I decided to try and look positively upon it. It's amazing what you see when you have this perspective.
The next event on my list was the Open Mic Event in the Wood Centre, (basically a student centre where you can hang out, have lunch, do your work etc.) Today, there was a special appreciation of literature, and students could get up on stage, and read their amateur works. I just managed to catch the last; a creative writing piece, with true Alaskan descriptions. It was well received, but with no one else willing to have a go with the mic, I decided to move on to the Musuem of the North.
The Musuem of the North is perhaps one of the biggest and best musuems in Alaska. Certainly, on the exterior, it's an impressive effort in engineering. Set in the centre of the university campus, it proves to be a very important learning resource for students and staff alike. From the inside, it's clearly taken on a contemporary design, and looked very much like the Science Musuem in London.
Getting in for free, thanks to my Royal Geographical Society card, I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the place. Whereas its classic art collection wasn't as grand as the one I saw in Anchorage, the main gallery contained a lot of interesting artefacts. The first thing I came across worth a photo was Otto. Otto the Bear. He was named this after Otto Geist, a generous donater to the UAF Musuem. This bear is well photographed; in fact, the museum encourages photos of him (or her!)
I can't possibly start with describing the musuem; where would I start? It covers a very wide range of history and geography; certainly one to visit again and again. It holds large scale models of common Alaskan animals, such as the Polar Bear and the Musk Ox, but also goes back in time with the skull of a wooly mammoth. The size is mind blowing, and what's more, the amount of space given to permafrost related studies is also large.
Upstairs were more works of art, this time of a contemporary feel, but still very much enjoyed. Next to this gallery, was a very unique room called: 'The place where you go to listen". An incredible room. Consisting of nothing but a wooden bench and a coloured screen, you basically just sit there and listen. I can't describe the sound- you can't call it music. Based on one chord, the sustained note reverberates around you. Every now and again, you hear distant thumps; these are said to represent the sound of the earthquakes currently happening around Alaska. As I went in, I thought I had entered a heavenly place; the room is bright white, I almost expected angels to come in and sit beside me. Was it relaxing? Well, I think so. But whilst the sound was supposed to represent nature, I would argue that being amongst nature (face to face with a moose, rubbing your hand along the trunk of a Birch) is more rewarding. Once again this evening, Scrabble was out, and I'm pleased to say I actually won a game! Here we all are at the table: Sarah and Bill are the couple each side of me, with Emma in the black top, and Ralph and his wife on the other side of the table.
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