Lecturers Onboard MS Midnatsol
Experience the vast white continent of Antarctica accompanied by passionate, expert lecturers and guides during the 2016/17 season.
Lecturers
Regina Gehmlich - Germany
Geochemist
As an educated mineralogist (geochemist) Regina Gehmlich has comprehensive knowledge about geological processes and geoscientific research. She has always been interested in wildlife and environmental protection, gathering a deep insight into the functionality of ecosystems and the interdependencies of living and non living nature. Every stay in fascinating nature has always been a source of power and recreation for Regina, and she likes sharing this fascination with others. For the past years, Regina has written texts on nature impressions from different places of the earth and presented them on small stage performances.Thus, she is able to provide the passengers with a balanced mixture of information and divertisement and would love to contribute in making their journey the great experience they are looking for.
Chris Croxson - USA
MSc., ACMA, AMMOA, biography
Following a distinguished business career with Unilever PLC, Chris embarked on obtaining a Masters degree in Marine Biology at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton University in the UK. He graduated in 2007 with first-class honours. He then attended a Post Graduate Certificate of Education course and taught high school biology. Chris now works fulltime on guiding expeditions, cruise lecturing and surveying marine mammal observations on a worldwide basis. He has significantly contributed to ground-breaking conservation research such as Great White sharks in South Africa, marine biota in the Galapagos, Whale sharks in Western Australia, fish and coral ecology on the Great Barrier and Ningaloo reefs, Bermuda & Caribbean, and the Red Sea.
Chris is an experienced marine biologist cruise lecturer/guide on themes relating to the marine fauna of the areas being visited, along with associated ecosystems and oceanographic features. He has global scope through his contribution to more than 100 voyages in the last 9 years around all seven continents, more than half of which have been in the polar regions. His talks are primarily intended to enthral and entertain, with the secondary aim of informing through science. He has the overriding objective to enhance expedition guests’ enjoyment by creating a greater awareness and appreciation of the marine world that surrounds them.
Monica Kidd– Canada
Biologist
Though originally a flatlander from Alberta, Canada, Monica Kidd was highjacked by an unexpected passion for ocean ecology and islands during her graduate work studying Atlantic seabirds. One four-month expedition to a remote field camp in Labrador turned into two, which turned into packing up her little truck with her earthly possessions and moving east to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Though Monica had designs on working as a biologist in Newfoundland and Labrador, life had other plans, and she soon became a staff reporter with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), working as a national science reporter to make scientific research accessible to a wide audience. Her documentaries and news reports won dozens of national and international awards. After nearly ten years with CBC, Monica retrained as a physician; she currently works as a family doctor in Calgary where, in addition to her clinical work delivering babies, she teaches medical students and residents. She has published six books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, has traveled extensively for work and pleasure. Monica is a marathon runner and mother of three. This will be her first season with Hurtigruten.
Maurice Van De Maele – Chile
Anthropologist
Maurice van de Maele is a chilean anthropologist that lives in the world’s southernmost city: Puerto Williams. He was the Director of the local Martin Gusinde Anthropological Museum for 20 years, leading on that period most of the archaeological studies of the islands south from Tierra del Fuego. He now works for the San Sebastián University, running a long term research on Yamana culture, the original inhabitants of Cape Horn archipelago. Maurice is also a member of the Beagle Foundation which will redo, in two more years, the famous voyage around the world performed by Charles Darwin in the early 1800.
Fritz Janschke - Germany
Zoologist
After completing his doctorate with a thesis on the behavior of orangutans, Fritz Jantschke worked for ten years as Assistant Professor at the Frankfurt Zoo, and for 18 years as editor of the magazine “The Animal” before he produced animal films for television. He was also head of the Opel Zoo in Kronberg, Green city councelor in Frankfurt and worked for children's programs on radio and television. Fritz writes articles and books and holds lectures. Since the early 1970s he has been working as a guide to interested groups in the regions throughout the world, from Alaska to Antarctica, Galapagos over Brazil, Tanzania and Madagascar to India. He enjoys to spread zoological publicity in all conceivable variations. And he is still a very enthusiastic zoologist.
Expedition photographers
Karsten Bidstrup - Denmark
Karsten Bidstrup has been working as a professional photographer for 18 years and spent the past years as a staff photographer for the biggest Danish travel magazine Vagabond, contributing to articles from all over the world. He is also a writer with the biggest digital camera magazine in Scandinavia. Karsten is author of the book "Et andet Afrika" (about travelling in Africa). He has been on MS Fram many times and says that one of his biggest travel experiences so far was to stand on the deck of MS Fram, watching the sun rise over the remote mountains in Antarctica.
Andreas Anderson - Norway
Andreas Anderson is from Stavanger, Norway and is 32 years old. He has a degree in biology which helps fuel his interest for nature and photography. For the last 10 years he has been working for a professional photo store alongside his own business as a photographer. Through his work he has hosted several workshops at home and abroad and gained a wide technical knowledge in the world of cameras and equipment. In his own time he has ventured on expeditions ranging from alpine mountaineering to sailing the Atlantic or exploring the Norwegian coastline. Andreas has sailed with MS The World as a photo guide and instructor on one of their expeditions and are now ready for his next chapter on MS Midnatsol.
Yanlin Liu - China
Biologist
Yanlin Liu has a PhD on conservation biology from Peking University, China. Born and raised up in sourthern China costal area, Yanlin developed his passion on the third pole, the Tibetan Plateau. Yanlin has been involved in five mountaineering expeditions into the plateau, and has been devoted to wildlife research and conservation, included leading the snow leopard conservation program, on the roof of the world since 2004.
Lan Wu - China
Biologist
Lan Wu received her PhD from Peking University in zoology. Besides being a researcher on brown bears of Tibetan Plateau, Lan also works for China Birdwatching Society on birds migration and conservation. After being a birdwatcher for more than nine years, Lan leads birdwatching and photography trips inside and outside China and gives lectures on wildlife conservation. She always believes that only if we understand, can we care, and travelling into the wild is the first step to understanding the natural world.
Jianxi Cao - China
Historian/Adventurer
Jianxi Cao was born in China. He joined the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010, including a winter-over at Great Wall Station and three traverses from Zhongshan Station to Dome A. Jianxi has worked as the second leader and mechanical supervisor of the 27th Chinese Antarctic Expedition inland team. He has so far worked in Antarctica for over 700 days.
Binbin Li – China
Biologist
Binbin Li is a PhD candidate in Environment at Duke University. She is working on species conservation and management of protected areas. Binbin got her M.S in Natural Resources and Environment from University of Michigan. Her work covers the identification of conservation priority, giant panda conservation, Footprint Identification Technique, impacts of plantation on biodiversity, behavioral study and sustainable agriculture and fisheries. Through her extensive fieldwork on Tibetan plateau, southwestern mountains in China, Greece and the US, she uses her photos and videos to show the beauty of the biodiversity that are hardly accessed by the public, deliver the love and concern for the nature, and the care for the locals. She hopes to combine the power of science and visuals to promote conservation. Binbin has the U.S. National Association for Interpretation Certificate and has served as lecturer and guides for educational tours for 5 years.
Kayak Certification guides
Harald Bang - Norway
Harald Berg is a college teacher in Haugesund, Norway, teaching mechanics to teenagers. He started kayaking in his early thirties and he has been hooked ever since. He is very active in the Haugesund Kayak club giving courses and organizing longer kayak trips. Cross country skiing and hiking are his favorite hobbies. During summer Harald likes to do voluntary work for the Norwegian Mountain Organization. For this organization he also guides both ski trips and hikes in the mountains close to Haugesund.
Mads Rio - Norway
Mads Rio is a pioneer within river paddling in Voss, Norway, and in such a manner that he can claim “first time padling” in classic rivers in Voss. He has ventured through Brandsetriver and Myrkdal, two rivers that now attracts paddlers from the whole world . He has plunged into Åsbrekkegjele,t kayaked as the first man to do so in 1994. Mads has been a vital part of the Extreme sport event in Voss, as responsible for the kayaking competitions. He has kept river kayak courses since the mid 90's and he has paddled large parts of the Norwegian coast in a sea kayak. Mads is certified Supervisor River and Activity Leader Sea in Norwegian Kayak Association 's education ladder.
Brooke Green - USA
Kayak guide
Brooke Green grew up in Georgia, where she spent most of her time playing sports. After graduating from the University of Georgia and working in the business world, she decided working in an office wasn’t for her. She attended an outdoor instructor training program in the UK and earned the BCU 3 Star Sea Kayak and Level I Coaching Award. Brooke loves going on big adventures and spent 3 months paddling the Inside Passage from Washington to Alaska and 2 months biking from the Canadian border to Mexico. She has been sea kayak guiding for the past 6 years in parts of Alaska, Washington, and a season in Patagonia.