Nicole Wertz

Hello. My name is Nicole Wertz. I work in Antarctica at McMurdo Station. I work as an Administrative Coordinator in a building called the Chalet. The Chalet is where the Directors of the National Science Foundation and the Directors of Antarctic Support Associates work. My function in the Chalet is to do personnel tracking or "mustering" which is the military term. If scientists or ASA employees leave McMurdo (go to a science field, go to the South Pole or go home for example) it is my job to make sure I know who they are, where they went and how long will they be gone. There is a magnetic board next to my desk which lists all the names of everyone who lives in and around McMurdo. It's a pretty big board.

I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology. I have had many and varied jobs before this one including teaching English in Japan, working for Greenpeace (an environmental organization) and working for a company that taught business persons going overseas cultural protocol and etiquette. As you can see from my background, I enjoy traveling and different places and the preservation of these diverse locations. This, I think, is what attracted me to Antarctica. It is extremely different and isolated, one of the final frontiers and I feel very lucky to be here!

Sometime in the future I would like to finish a Masters Program in Epidemiology. I was attending some classes before I left for Antarctica.

It's not possible now, but when I'm living in Denver I like to play Mountain Bike Polo, go to school and visit with my friends and family. Since I now live in Antarctica, I can only go Penguin and Seal sightseeing. Not a bad trade-off.

Until later
Nicole (Nicki)