It will be Ms. Bruzzone’s job to manage the team, coordinate ship visits to the island and work with expedition leaders. Having been to the region before, she said she is confident. “I got to know more about Antarctica through one of my early jobs when I was very much involved in the expeditions world.”
Mairi Hilton, 30, who has a Ph.D in conservation biology, will be wildlife monitor, which largely means taking charge of the penguin head count, and staying alert for new hatchlings and nests.
“I have no idea what to expect when we get there,” Ms. Hilton, of Bo’ness, Scotland, said in a statement issued by the trust. “How cold it will be, will we have to dig our way through the snow to the post office? I’m a conservation biologist, so personally I can’t wait to see the penguins and other wildlife like seabirds and whales!”
The chosen four went through a three-stage selection process, said Camilla Nichol, chief executive of the trust.
“It’s an application form, then a Zoom interview,” Ms. Nichol said. “When we get down to the final 12 we bring them together in person, as a group, for a day of activities, tests, presentations, an in-person interview, to really get to understand who these people are and how they respond in different situations.”
That only women made the team was not a goal, Ms. Nichol said. The trust was looking for the right match for each role. Given the harshness of the environment, working in subzero temperatures and faced with an all-encompassing sense of isolation, group dynamic and mental preparedness are everything.
