"I am a SAMS PhD student studying oceanography and glaciology in the North Atlantic. As part of my studies I will be taking part in an Arctic glaciology course at UNIS during February and March 2010.

UNIS is in Spitzbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard Archipelago, about half way between Norway and the North Pole.  Whilst visiting I will take part in field trips, experiencing first hand how the data I am using are collected and also introducing me to the harsh field conditions which I may face in my future career. I will also have a large amount of classroom time with lectures being taught by world leading glaciologists.

I won't pretend that my reasons for attending this course are entirely academic. The chance to experence the Arctic, especially at this time of year, is an amazing opportunity and not one which I would have predicted I would ever get to experience. The only downside that I can see about this entire trip is the 4 hour end of course exam, something I thought I'd seen the end of when I started my PhD.

I will be keeping a log of what I'm going to be doing on Twitter, so feel free to "follow" me, leave comments, or just have a quick look.

Marie's Twitter address is: www.twitter.com/svalbard_visit

Our undergraduates also have the opportunity to study Arctic science on Spitzbergen. More information here...