A new exhibit at the Burke Museum offers a glimpse into the life of researchers working on the world's most hostile continent - Antarctica - through large format photographs, displays of camp equipment, and presentations of recent research findings from the University of Washington. A full schedule of events is planned for the opening of Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey, October 3.

Spend the day hearing firsthand about Antarctica from those who have conducted research there:

10:30 am - Dr. Christian Sidor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum, will discuss two expeditions he undertook to Antarctica where he collected 245-million-year-old fossils that are now part of the Burke's collection.

11:30 am - Cheryl Leonard is a composer who visited Palmer Station last January on an Antarctic Artists and Writers grant from the National Science Foundation. During her month on the ice she explored the local islands and glaciers, searching out and recording natural soundscapes. The Antarctic Peninsula in the austral summer (November - March) is full of wildlife, icebergs, melting glaciers, and fascinating sounds. Leonard will share stories, photos, and unique audio recordings of wind, ice, birds, and animals from her adventures at Palmer Station.

1 pm - Dr. Eric Steig, director of the Quaternary Research Center and professor of Earth and Space Sciences, will discuss what ice core records reveal about long term Antarctic climate change.

2 pm - Thomas Tobin is a second-year graduate student in Earth and Space Sciences and Astrobiology at the University of Washington. He will discuss his field work traveling to Antarctica by boat to explore the Cretaceous Tertiary mass extinction that occurred there 65 million years ago.

Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey features photographs by Joan Myers. The exhibition is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and made possible through the generous support of Quark Expeditions. Additional support for the exhibit and its related programs has been provided by the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Community Grant Program, funded by MetLife Foundation, and donors to the Burke Museum Annual Fund. Media sponsorship for Opening Day has been provided by 94.9 KUOW.