Young Blake Ambassador departs on amazing Antarctic journey

university-of-canterbury

Wed Nov 27 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Young Blake Ambassador departs on amazing Antarctic journey

Wednesday, 27 November 2013, 1:06 pm
Press Release: University of Canterbury

MEDIA RELEASE

27 November 2013

Hamish Laing's Arctic Gear

Hamish Laing, a mechanical engineering student at the University of Canterbury, departed this morning for Antarctica, where he will be spending the summer working on engineering projects at Scott Base as a Sir Peter Blake Trust Antarctic Youth Ambassador.

Hamish, 24, says he is looking forward to spending a summer on the ice and learning as much as he can from the team at Scott Base. He has spent the last eight days at the Antarctica NZ office in Christchurch preparing for his trip and has packed nine pairs of gloves in readiness for the wintery chill of the Antarctic.

Hamish says, “Living in Christchurch, the gateway to the Antarctic, has grown my passion for the outdoors and exploring the South Island has given me a great appreciation for New Zealand’s natural beauty and why we should do our best to conserve it. Thinking outside the box on climate change, sustainability and the environment is essential and this was one of my goals as part of Engineers without Borders at University this year,” he says.

“I am excited to learn about the engineering challenge of sustaining a community in Antarctica, with as little impact on the environment as possible, and hope to raise some awareness of the global importance of Antarctica,” says Hamish.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

One of the key projects that Hamish will be working on is an automatic reporting process for the Base’s building management system, which will enable Base staff to analyse how much energy, water and waste they are using day to day.

Hamish is one of two Antarctic Youth Ambassadors departing on environmental expeditions, run in conjunction with Antarctica NZ and the Antarctic Heritage Trust, as part of an ambassador programme run by The Sir Peter Blake Trust. Early next year another two young Blake Ambassadors, in partnership with NIWA, will join a NIWA research vessel and work alongside crew and scientists in the Southern Ocean.

Shelley Campbell, CEO of the Trust, says, “It’s just fantastic to see young leaders, like Hamish, travelling to an area where he will learn so much about marine environmental issues. As a Blake ambassador, he will be carrying on the legacy of one of our greatest leaders and marine environmentalists, Sir Peter Blake, in drawing attention and finding solutions to issues facing our environment and how we can leave our planet in the good shape for generations to come. We can’t wait to read Hamish’s blogs and updates over the next few months and hear all about his exciting Antarctic adventures.”

Follow Hamish’s journey to Antarctica at http://www.sirpeterblaketrust.org/young-blake-expeditions/antarctic-youth-ambassador
ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from University of Canterbury on InfoPages.