Tag: vacation

Back from vacation

After a month of vacation in Europe I am well rested (?) and ready for new adventures. Quite a few things are about to change – first my full time contract at Concordia has expired. People I replaced are back from their respective sabbaticals and I am back to research.

For the next couple of months I will be doing research at McGill University in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences again. I have one more paper to finish, two are currently under review, so things are looking good. This does, however, not mean that I will be giving up teaching, since I will sign a part-time contract at Concordia and teach two lectures in the fall term (General Chemistry – a new lecture and Analytical Chemistry I again).

And of course my job search is on again … exciting times ahead!

Last week …

… was extremely enjoyable, because I was on vacation in Churchill, MB – watching polar bears, checking out the boreal forest and the tundra. I also visited the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. People there were extremely friendly and helpful and I was given an extended tour of the research station and the possibilities they offer. It is run as a facility that provides logistical support (food, lodging, transportation), local advice (sampling locations, terrain, flora & fauna) to researchers, who typically arrive with their projects. Some tasks can also be performed by the centre (sampling,…).

The place is very interesting and attractive with regard to equipment, rates, accessibility,… although, personally, I am a bit concerned about anthropogenic influence (a former rocket range, former military installations, the airport and the town are close-by), when it comes to sampling for VOC in snow and air. It would be necessary to choose sampling spots very carefully. Environment Canada is running a few automated instruments there, including a Tekran Hg Analyzer.