I was very fortunate to be able to participate in cruise NBP96-01 in the Ross Sea of Antarctica, a month of shooting seismic, taking piston cores, looking at penguins, and never seeing the sun set.  This was made possible by the NSF's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, through Prof. Gene Domack at Hamilton College.  Prof. Lou Bartek of the University of Alabama oversaw my participation in the cruise and my own research, while I received more direct supervision from my advisor Prof. Patricia Manley (an excellent advisor) in the Middlebury Geology Department.
 
 

Early in the month-long cruise (January, 1996), the sun stayed high in the sky.  During the last week, the sun started to dip down to the horizon, resulting in some very beautiful scenes.

 

We were never too far from Mt. Erebus, the active volcano seen here in the background.  On the left is an ice berg the size of Delaware.

 

The scenery offshore Antarctica was frequently quite surreal.  I took this photo on a particularly clear and calm day, as we cruised along beside the pack ice.