EAPSI: Extreme Environments and the Production of Knowledge: The History of Antarctic Science during the International Geophysical Year

在20世纪中期，南极研究在国际层面上爆发，主要始于1957-58年国际地球物理年（IGY）的开始。然而，南极洲的极端环境极大地影响了研究科学家进行观察、进行研究甚至日常生活的方式。使用新西兰？该项目以罗斯海地区的斯科特基地为例，利用科学技术研究和科学史的方法，调查南极洲的物质环境如何在IGY期间促进科学知识的产生，以及科学家与这些环境因素进行谈判的独特方式。这项研究将在坎特伯雷大学进行，由极地研究领域著名的社会科学家Daniela Liggett博士指导。这个项目将有助于发展考虑到科学工作的历史偶然性以及记录南极地球系统科学重要研究起源的研究方法。这个项目将分析新西兰在南极的科学，从第二次世界大战到冷战，主要关注IGY。虽然科学、技术和环境之间的相互作用在许多情况下是动态的，但在极端环境中往往最为明显。在南极，科学家们经常被迫在恶劣的条件下使用行为和技术适应，以便在一个大部分未开发的地区产生有用的数据。通过考察斯科特基地，调查人员将能够确定与环境危害有关的科学实践的哪些方面是文化的，哪些方面可能具有普遍性。此外，通过仔细审查个人账户、后勤档案、科学报告和报纸报道，使用历史民族志的方法，本研究将显示哪些方法在长期内是成功的，哪些是失败的。该奖项由美国国家科学基金会和新西兰皇家学会共同资助，隶属于东亚和太平洋暑期研究所项目，支持一名美国研究生进行暑期研究。

In the mid-20th century, Antarctic research exploded at an international level, beginning largely with the start of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-58. However, the extreme environment of Antarctica greatly impacted the way that research scientists made observations, conducted their research, or even lived their daily lives. Using New Zealand?s Scott Base in the Ross Sea region as a model, this project uses methods from science and technology studies and the history of science to investigate how the material environment of Antarctica contributed to the production of scientific knowledge during the IGY, as well as the unique ways that scientists negotiated with these environmental factors. This research will be conducted at the University of Canterbury under the mentorship of Dr. Daniela Liggett, a noted social scientist in the field of polar studies. This project will contribute to the development of research methods that take into account the historical contingencies of scientific work as well as document the origins of important research in Antarctic earth systems science.This project will be an analysis of New Zealand science in the Antarctic from World War II through the Cold War, focusing primarily on the IGY. While the interaction between science, technology, and the environment is dynamic in many settings, it is often most readily apparent in extreme environments. In the Antarctic, scientists were frequently forced to use behavioral and technological adaptations in the harsh conditions in order to produce useful data in a region that mostly unexplored. By examining Scott Base, the investigator will be able identify what aspects of scientific practice in regards to environmental hazards are cultural, versus what may have some universality. Additionally, using the method of historical ethnography through scrutinizing personal accounts, logistical archives, scientific reports, and newspaper coverage, this research will show what methods succeeded and failed in the long term. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Royal Society of New Zealand.