The Polar Archives at The Ohio State University announced the 2024-2025 recipient of the $6,000 Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program Research Award. Patricia (Trish) Burgess, Adjunct Fellow at the University of New South Wales Canberra, and Annette Carter, College Historian at Radford College (Canberra), are the winners of the award. Burgess and Carter were selected from a pool of five applicants.
Burgess and Carter will visit the Archives to conduct their research in the fall of 2024. As they state in their application, they will use the Sir Hubert Wilkins collection to answer the questions: “How did Sir Hubert Wilkins’ nine journeys to the Antarctic contribute to the advance of polar exploration and science and the better understanding of the environment? One of Wilkins’ lifelong aims was to improve weather forecasting for farmers … did he achieve this?”
"One of the reasons we chose Burgess and Carter is because their publication will, for the first time bring together information and material related to his nine Antarctic expeditions,” said Polar Archivist Laura Kissel. “We are excited to have them use the Wilkins collection to further their research goals."
The Polar Archives Research Award is given annually and is available to graduate students, faculty and independent scholars who demonstrate a need to utilize the collections onsite. Visit the award page to learn more about the award and how to apply.
Formally established in 1990, the Polar Archives is a collaborative effort of the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and The Ohio State University Libraries. The goal of the Polar Archives is to make historical, rare and unique information about polar exploration and scientific investigation available for use within the context of an active polar research environment.