Arctic adventure: Kelvin Students study polar bears in Churchill

École Secondaire Kelvin High School students were once again given the amazing opportunity to travel north to Churchill, Manitoba to continue a scientific study of polar bears with researchers.  

Kelvin partnered with Dr. Jane Waterman and Dr. Emily McKinnon at the University of Manitoba to collect long-term data on the body condition of polar bears that are studied during field work in Churchill. The students also learned to identify bears using a whisker print software and created a database of bears that have been studied over years. 

During the latest visit, the polar bears were very active, and students had the privilege of watching sparring matches right beside their Tundra Buggy. Travel to Churchill took 28 hours starting with a bus ride to Thompson and then an overnight train through the boreal forest and over the tundra, finally arriving in the tiny frontier town. 

"I found the whole trip to be super exciting and a great learning experience," shared Natasha Shamova, a Grade 11 student. "We got to learn about polar bears, lemmings, and snowy owls directly from researchers and even help study them."  

Students engaged in other activities while in Churchill, including dog sledding, research talks by Dr. Waterman, a cultural presentation by local Florence Hamilton about her Sayisi Dene heritage, and viewing vibrant, dancing northern lights.  

Grade 12 students like Emma Thompson recognized the broader significance of their work. "The program provided a great opportunity to learn about the effects of climate change in northern Manitoba. I enjoyed learning alongside research experts and students from different schools," she explained.  

Emma-Flore Ghia, Grade 12 student added her perspective, “Avec le programme NorthSTAR, nous avons l’opportunité de faire partie de la recherche et de partager nos résultats, ainsi qu’enrichir nos expériences vécues. Notre recherche sur les ours polaires aident à comprendre les effets du changement climatique sur ces animaux arctiques.”

The students will continue to analyze the collected data over the next months and will give a presentation to the researchers at the Manitoba Wildlife Society Conference in March 15, 2025. They will also lead workshops for elementary students and set up a booth at the University of Manitoba Science Rendezvous event in May. 

Other partners in this Northern Student-led Arctic Monitoring and Research (NorthSTAR) program include the Churchill Junior Rangers, Nelson McIntyre Collegiate, University of Manitoba Wawatay Scholars, and students from the UM Access program. 

The NorthSTAR program is grateful for the support of the University of Manitoba and the NSERC PromoScience Grant.