The Ohio State University’s Polar Archives has announced the 2022 recipient of the $5,000 Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program Research Award. Gustavo Valdivia Corrales of Lima, Peru, who holds a Master of Arts degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University, was selected from a pool of five applicants.
Corrales will visit the archives to conduct his research between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. He will be utilizing the John H. Mercer Papers to inform his research concerning the Quelccaya ice cap.
“Dr. John Mercer and Dr. Lonnie Thompson have been the protagonists of scientific work in this Andean glacier . . . with Dr. Mercer initiating research in Quelccaya in 1974,” said Corrales.
Corrales’ research on the Mercer Papers intends to answer three different thematic questions. These relate to the epistemological assumptions of Mercer’s work at Quelccaya, the fields of power, knowledge and cultural rules, including the logistics and financial efforts of an expedition to Quelccaya in the 1970s and finally the geopolitical considerations during this time period.
"The Polar Archives Research Award offers historical researchers a unique opportunity to help defray the expenses associated with traveling to central Ohio to conduct research," said Polar Curator Laura Kissel.
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.