Kelvin NorthSTAR
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NorthSTAR fosters Collaboration and Diversity
The Northern Student-led Arctic Research Program (NorthSTAR), is a partnership and scientific collaboration between high school and university students across Manitoba. Their task it to do non-invasive field research yielding important climate change indicators conducted from the safety of tundra vehicles. The student research team is made up of the Churchill Junior Canadian Rangers (JCRs), students from the Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resources Center in Norway House, Kelvin High School and Nelson MacIntyre Collegiate in Winnipeg, University of Manitoba Access program and the University of Manitoba Wawatay Scholars. The focus of the program is mentoring young scientists as they learn to collaborate and work as a team. Together with Dr. Jane Waterman and Dr. Emily McKinnon, the students study the behaviour, health, and survival of wild polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba.
The body condition of polar bears may be an important indicator of changing climate, as the critical hunting days when the sea ice is frozen have declined with rising temperatures. Using a body condition index (BCI) calculated from photos taken from field research, and facial recognition software (whisker print) developed to identify individuals, the students monitor annual variation in polar bear body condition.
This year, the students from the Northern communities came to join the Winnipeg students for a two-day workshop, attending lectures and training for the field work. Then the Winnipeg and Norway House students went up to Churchill to join the Churchill JCRs for action-packed days on the tundra buggy. The temperature had dropped, snow was blowing and the bears were active! Students witnessed mother and cubs hiding and staying safe in the willow bushes and male bears actively sparring as they prepare to go onto the ice for a winter of hunting seals.
The Churchill students hosted the rest of the NorthSTAR team and gave them tours of the town of Churchill in the last day before leaving. Now comes the time for orgainizing and analyzing data and presenting it at conferences and workshops.
Information about the program can be found on the website:
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