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This document has been archived.
NSF Press Statement - January 7, 2000
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Statement by Dr. Karl Erb
Director, Office of Polar Programs
On Loss of Antarctic Worker
I deeply regret the loss of a member of our Antarctic research team, John G. Biesiada. As we mourn with his family and colleagues, we also celebrate his life of courage. Like the other 850 people currently working at McMurdo Station on the coast of Antarctica, John sacrificed comfort and time with family and friends to support the search for new knowledge in an isolated location. More than 1,200 individuals are doing so today at various U.S. research facilities in Antarctica, because the frozen continent holds important information unavailable anywhere else. These are today's explorers, and their courage will benefit tomorrow's generations.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) coordinates U.S. scientific research in the Antarctic through the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). NSF operates three U.S. scientific stations year-round on the continent: McMurdo Station, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and Palmer Station. NSF is an independent federal agency whose mission covers research in all fields of science and engineering.
For a fact sheet on the U.S. Antarctic Program, see: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=102869
See also: Press release
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