Retired teacher Paul Jones keeps the McMurdo Station humming as a contractor in Antarctica. Photo courtesy of Paul Jones.
Paul Jones, a former science teacher from Montezuma, Iowa, spent years preparing for his adventurous post-
retirement job: He has been a contractor for the past five years at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica (www.nsf.gov/od/opp/support/mcmurdo.jsp), helping to supply the facility with water and power. In 36 years of teaching, Jones took part in 36 summer projects at 20 colleges. His experiences include dozens of extensive “field trips” to enrich his life and his teaching repertoire and show his students the amazing diversity of opportunities in science. During his adventures, he worked as an archeologist searching for historical artifacts, went digging for dinosaur and mammoth fossils as a paleontologist, studied marine biology while sailing the North Atlantic, and collaborated with scientists at the National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University.
Jones’ first Antarctic experience was at this Dry Valleys science camp as part of Teachers Experiencing Antarctica.
When he was accepted into the National Science Foundation’s TEA (Teachers Experiencing Antarctica) program at age 57, Jones had to pass a rigorous physical qualifying test that subjects older people to even more scrutiny than others. To prepare for his first trip to Antarctica, he wore leg weights and a 30-pound back-pack every day but resisted his students’ advice to camp out in the school cafeteria’s freezer.
During his TEA expedition, he spent four weeks in the ice-free and moisture-free Dry Valleys in a one-person tent, where he wore the same clothes for a week at a time. His team monitored glacier stream measurements to determine weather fluctuations. They collected water samples and tested total solids, volatile solids, and total organic carbons. He says he loved the experience, even the summer temperatures: highs in the 30s and lows below zero° F.
After retirement, Jones knew he wanted to return to Antarctica. He applied to work for utilities, thinking he might have a chance because he had run his hometown’s utility plant during summer breaks. McMurdo authorities called in 2004 to say they needed him immediately. Jumping at the opportunity, he boarded a transcontinental plane three days later. Because of his successful experience in the TEA program, his prior work in his hometown, and his continuing quest for adventure, the job has been an ideal fit. He has returned every Antarctic summer since then.
Jones’ pre-retirement adventures—many outside his comfort zone as an educator (think seasickness on high seas and desert temperatures up to 100° F)—not only increased his classroom expertise, but also prepared him to make the most of his retirement years. Antarctica would be a formidable place for most people, but at age 69, Jones says he is having the time of his life in the coldest place on Earth.
To learn about similar programs, check these websites: