The Instructors
Girls on Ice has been taught by a number of wonderful instructors over the years. The instructor team for the 2011 Girls on Ice Expedition included a glaciologist, a professional mountaineer, and an ecologist/environmental planner. While each instructor brings a unique perspective on the mountain environment, all are experienced environmental and outdoor educators.
Current Instructors
Erin is the founder of Girls on Ice and an assistant professor of geophysics and glaciology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She specializes in glacier dynamics and their role in the climate system and she has studied glaciers and ice sheets from the North Slope of Alaska to the interior of Antarctica. She is originally from Seattle, WA and completed her graduate studies at the University of Washington. She is a fellow of Wings Worldquest and winner of their 2007 Earth Award.
Cecelia Mortenson
Cece is an internationally experienced guide who has 15 years mountain guiding experience extensively in the North Cascades, Alaska, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Antarctica and most recently in Canada where she is an ACMG assistant alpine guide. While in Antarctica, Cecelia worked with leading glaciology, paleontology, biology and other science projects providing field mountaineering logistics and guiding support. She has been involved with GOI since 2006 and enjoys working with and training young scientists in safe mountaineering skills.
Kari has been working as an instructor for Girls on Ice since 2009. Kari Stiles works as a Research Scientist and Environmental Planner at the Puget Sound Institute, where she works with the Puget Sound Partnership to facilitate the incorporation of best available science in regional conservation management decisions. Kari holds a PhD in Botany and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington. Kari has also worked professionally as a Landscape Designer and Environmental Planner. She has over ten years of experience teaching biology and ecological design and planning to diverse audiences in remote places and rugged landscapes. Kari is an avid outdoor enthusiast and is actively engaged in building strong connections between communities, youth, and the environment.
Joanna is a graduate student in glaciology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she is studying a large glacier in the beautiful Alaska Range to determine how it is responding to climate change. She also has a BS in Astrophysics and a BA in Philosophy of Science, both from the University of British Columbia in Canada. In 2011, Joanna helped out with GOI both behind the scenes and on Mount Baker, and was so inspired by the program and its amazing participants that along with Marijke and Barbara, the idea of holding a second Alaskan version of GOI started to take shape. Joanna is excited to be a part of GOI AK 2012, and can’t wait to get out on the glacier with an inspirational group of young women!
Marijke is also a graduate student in glaciology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is from Switzerland where she focused on snow and avalanches for her MS in Physics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Before she moved to Fairbanks she lived in Juneau Alaska, where she worked as a research assistant visiting many of the glaciers on the fringe of the Juneau Ice Field and she couldn’t help falling in love with this landscape. Marijke is thrilled to be part of the team that starts up and instructs the new Alaskan version of Girls on Ice.
Barbara is a graduate student in the glaciology group of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she studies a rapidly changing glacier that calves large icebergs into a lake in Southeast Alaska. She has a MSc in Geoscience from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland. Girls on Ice Alaska 2012 is Barbara’s first involvement in the GOI program, she is excited to be an instructor in this unique science adventure.
Kelsi Franzen
Kelsi, 2012′s new Program Coordinator, was a 2002 Girls on Ice participant and has spent the past six years perfecting her skills within the field of environmental education, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Eduation and a Masters of Education in Environmental Education from Western Washington University. She has worked as an educator for such organizations as the North Cascades Institute, the Pacific Science Center, and Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. She currently works as an 2nd grade Assistant Teacher at a private school for gifted students in Washington. Be it frost or fair weather, you can find Kelsi spending her free time running, rock climbing, gardening, and naturalizing all over the Pacific Northwest.
Past Instructors
Lexine Long
Lexine Long participated in the 2001 expedition of Girls on Ice, which was the trip of a lifetime for her, and greatly influenced her decision to study environmental science and ecology. She worked with Girls on Ice as the Program Coordinator from 2009-2011, when she left to pursue graduate work in ecology at Utah State. She has a BA and BS from the University of Washington in Community, Environment and Planning and Environmental Science and Resource Management, respectively. She has worked as an ecologist/ botanist for government and non-profit organizations around Washington State.
Maria has helped with Girls on Ice since 2006, including as full instructor in 2007 and 2008. She still volunteers to help teach girls about field are when she can. She is a professional artist who specializes in alpine and polar landscapes. As an expeditionary artist, she has traveled and worked with scientists in Greenland, Washington, and Alaska. Maria seeks to bridge fine art and education to raise environmental awareness. She offers exhibits, presentations, and workshops for audiences of all ages.
Niki Bowerman
Niki taught Girls on Ice in 2007. She has a Master’s degree in glaciology from Western Washington University. For several years she worked in the glacier monitoring group at North Cascades National Park until she decided to take a new path in life and become a Firefighter! Never far from glaciers, she continues to lead the monitoring program on the Easton Glacier and comes to visit Girls on Ice North Cascades every summer.
Sarah Fortner
Sarah taught Girls on Ice in 2006. She has a Ph.D. in geochemistry (specializing in snow and ice!) from the Ohio State University and is currently assistant professor of biogeosciences at Wittenberg University.
Michele was instrumental in developing Girls on Ice and taught with Erin from 1999 through 2004. She is now assistant professor of geography at the University of British Columbia.
Megan McGinty
Megan helped build and maintain our relationship with the North Cascades Institute. She taught with Erin and Michele in 2004.
