Talk Radio with Bryan, Tom, James & Todd

Todd Gleason, Farm Broadcaster, University of Illinois

The European Union Center on the University of Illinois campus has taken a group of high school teachers to Brussels, Belgium. In this 20 minute conversation, Director of the European Union Center Bryan Endres joins WILL Radio host Todd Gleason and trip participants Tom Bruno and James Garcia to discuss the Summer Study Tour.

Listen to their conversation here.

Talk Radio with Bryan, Tom, James & Todd

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The Glacial Trek That Induced Muscle Memory

by Sarah Buckman, Pratik Patel, and Alex Li

We finally arrived to the most crucial and exciting part of the Arctic Summer program, which is Svalbard. We visited Spitsbergen, a big island that is part of the beautiful archipelago known as Svalbard. We made camp in Longyearbyen, where glaciers covered the mountainsides all around the valley. The sun seemed never to set, but rather it circled the valley throughout the day like a merry-go-round. Due to the warm ocean currents near Spitsbergen, Svalbard is also called the tropical island of the Arctic. After arriving to the most northern city in the world, we feasted on a big breakfast and headed out for our first hike near Longyearbyen. Hiking through the beautiful terrain was not only difficult but also satisfying. It was our way of challenging the hostile Arctic environment and experiencing a small part of the obstacles other explorers have in history.

Today we conquered Longyearbyen. We started to cross the creeks. Although the water seemed very shallow, it was very hard to achieve balance because of the rocks. We spent 45 minutes and finally found a plateau to have a rest. At the same time, Bruce started his lecture about rocks and landscapes. After 10 minutes rest, we put on our jackets and backpack and moved forward. We climbed up a slope covered with snow and ice to get to the top of the mountain. We had to be really careful because this was extremely slippery. Although we were hiking in weather around 5 degrees Celsius, people were sweating and took off their jacket. Everyone was out of breath. Finally, we made our steps to the top of the mountain that was embraced by the glaciers and fjords. It was the most beautiful view we had ever seen so far. Now, we were allowed to have a longer rest. We took out the sandwiches and started to eat. After that, we cleaned up the place and prepare to head to the other side of the glacier.

As we began to walk, Dag, our leader of the glacial hike, informed us of the crevasse that he saw ahead of us. For those who do not know what a glacial crevasse is, it is an alarming melting hole that can be found in parts of the main glacier that has begun to receive most of the melting water that feeds all the way to the bottom of the glacier. Very tentatively, we kept in our single-file line while passing the crevasse to our right. Yet, there was something very suspicious to the left of our pathway that consisted of a dirty bodily imprint of large proportion with a piece of reindeer meat. It could be suspected that this place around the glacier was once an area for a polar bear. As we continued to walk, we learned about rock formations that make a conical structure out of the terrain and occur due to the rotation of rocks and distinct melting patterns of underground glacial areas, our geologist Bruce informed us that they are called “pingos”. After taking many pictures, hearing lectures, and enduring the trek across both snow and muddy permafrost, we finally reached the remnants of an old mine located on the valley of Longyearbyen, one that had experienced a rock collapse that filled the entrance. Carefully, we meandered down the mountainside and took great pleasure in the warmth of our restful beds where we could relax from the long hike. 

Pratik Patel is a senior studying Atmospheric Sciences with a concentration in Atmospheric Dynamics/Chemistry. He resides in the Northwest Suburbs near Chicago. 

Sarah Buckman is a senior in both Global Studies and Spanish with a concentration geared in environmental sustainability. She usually resides in the city of Chicago.

Alex Li is a sophomore studying Agricultural Engineering. He is an international student from China at the University of Illinois.

The Glacial Trek That Induced Muscle Memory

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Welcome to Svalbard

by Rachel Bonet and Matthew Borden

The group at Arlanda airport.

The start of our journey can best be described with the saying “good things come to those who wait.” Each subway train, bus, commuter train, taxi, escalator, and moving walkway seems to take an eternity when you realize that you are heading to a place few have been before; a place you have read about and dreamed about going. Today is the day we head off to the Arctic, and all we can think about is how long this bloody flight check-in line is. Though the waiting seems to be without end, our spirits remain high for the expectations of what we are about to experience are already dancing around in our heads. If you wished to join us one must simply take a plane to Oslo, another to Tromsø, and one final plane to Longyearbyen. There you would have found us standing on a tarmac surrounded by Arctic waters, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and an un-setting sun. The air is fresh and crisp and the smiles are the widest they have ever been. It was quite late into the night before we finally settled in, but that did not matter. We made it. We are here. Hello Svalbard.

Landscape in Svalbard around 2:00 am.

Despite a unanimous feeling of exhaustion generated by nearly a full day of travel, we strapped up and headed down into town to UNIS (University Centre in Svalbard) for our first interview with Eva Therese Jenssen, an Information Advisor and researcher at the university. She gave us a very enlightening and enjoyable lecture about the university, its programs and goals, as well as information on Svalbard and the various topics that often receive the most attention in both Longyearbyen and Svalbard. Following a quick tour of UNIS’ beautiful complex we found ourselves enjoying our first of many self-prepared lunches before hurrying off to our next meeting at the office of the Governor of Svalbard.

Group presentation at the Governor's office.

At the Sysselmannen’s (Governor’s) office, we were welcomed by both cultural and environmental advisors who gave a presentation about the history of Longyearbyen, the responsibilities and workings of the Governor’s office as well as a number of interesting facts and ideas about the cultural heritage and environmental history of both Svalbard and Longyearbyen. Without even realizing it, we had spent almost two hours at the office discussing these various topics along with more recent issues and questions such as current environmental practices, foreign interaction with Svalbard, future endeavors of Norway, and the issue of global climate change. The Governor’s office gave us a much needed perspective into the inner workings of Svalbard and we would like to thank them again for all of their efforts and time spent with us.

After a short post-lecture discussion on a hillside overlooking Longyearbyen, we headed back to the Spitsbergen Guesthouse for some greatly needed and appreciated rest and relaxation. With day one of our adventure coming to a close, our band of tired and weary researchers slowly crawled into bed for a goodnight’s sleep.

Rachel Bonet is a senior studying Anthropology, Animal Sciences, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She intends to study Environmental Law. Rachel comes
from Darien, IL.

Matthew Borden is a senior studying Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, concentrating in Human Dimensions of the Environment. Matt hails from Oak
Forest, IL.

Welcome to Svalbard

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Tracking Gnomes and Auditing their Books

Todd Gleason, Farm Broadcaster, University of Illinois

The European Union Center on the University of Illinois campus has taken a group of high school teachers to Brussels, Belgium. Most of them are history teachers, and learned how agriculture, in large part, underpins the common European society. Listen to the fourth and final of Todd Gleason’s journal entries from the weeklong trip, and follow along with the transcript below. Also check out Todd Gleason's blog on the experience, featuring posts, photos, and a map of the study tour.

Friday June 29, 2012

You cannot visit Belgium without a brewery tour. Ours took place in farm county a couple of hours outside of Brussels, near the French border and just an hour from Luxembourg. We went to the Brasserie d’Achoufe. The Achouffe Brewery. Achouffe is the word for sneeze, I think, and the name of the town. The brewery isn’t that old, established in the early 1980’s. They’ve a nice little story to go with their bier about the Gnomes of Ardennes forest wanting something different to drink than the crisp clean spring water. We’ve some extra time here, finally. One of our crew wants to walk to the restaurant – bar – where we will have lunch. It’s four kilometers away and I know the two-and-half-mile trek is all up hill. We’re on a blacktop, mostly Simmental or Simmental Charolaise cross cattle dotting the pastures on both side of the roadway—at least where there aren’t pine forests. The barkeeper looks like a French strong man with a red nose and a beret. Classic. I cool off not with a bier, but with water.

I’m not cool for long. Our hotel in Luxembourg is not air-conditioned. No big deal really, even the buildings with air condition have been stuffy at best over the entirety of the trip.  Bier at noon – the brewery tour - and then back into the classroom late in the day. This time we are at the University of Luxembourg. It is on our itinerary mostly because – as has been the case almost always when I’ve traveled with the University of Illinois – the two campuses are searching for common areas of interest and ways to trade students. We are there long enough to learn the University of Luxembourg is not expensive to attend either as a local, or an international student. I calculate the costs, housing and tuition, is just about the same as attending a community college here.

We spent Thursday evening in city center watching soccer on a big screen with a crowd of maybe a couple thousand - maybe just a thousand; all very young, with bier available. Strikingly, they were quiet, intent, not drunk and extraordinarily cordial. It meant very few policeman were needed. I think Americans need to work on being more European in this case. 

Friday morning we head to the European Court of Auditors. The ‘federal budget’ for the European Union is about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars. The U.S. budget is more than 3 trillion dollars by comparison. The Court of Auditors does exactly what you think it might do, but in a more small townish way. For instance our group is traveling on a grant from the European Union. The auditors we are meeting with could very well ask to see the receipts we turn in. We’re told stories of going to farms and counting cows, and national borders to count jeeps used to patrol them. The budget is small, because each country mostly takes care of its own. The auditors say that’s where the financial crisis lies.    

The teachers on our trip are excited. We’re headed to high school. The schools in Luxembourg “track” their kids a whole lot more than would ever be acceptable in the United States. Starting in about 7^th grade the children are picking out careers and following a corresponding course of work. The school, despite being one of the worst in the city we are told, is clean, up-to-date, quite – the kids are in class – and our high school teachers are envious at almost every turn – well, with the exception of the tracking part.

Tracking Gnomes and Auditing their Books

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