NAICEX 2013: Introducing the Team - Chuck Newnam

The Naval Academy Ice Experiment is about to take off in a few short days! We're going to start with a series of posts introducing the team from the Naval Academy that will be heading up to Barrow, Alaska. 

I am MIDN 1/C Chuck Newnam.  I'm one of two members of the team studying Aerospace Engineering at the Academy and, after I graduate, I'll go down to Pensacola, FL to begin flight training to become a Navy Pilot.  Over the past few months I've been working on creating and finalizing the power distribution system for our IceKid2A and IceKid3T projects.  Of course, with the trip to Barrow being so close, it's definitely crunch time for getting everything ready to leave.  Even with the stress of completing the IceKids weighing down on us, I'm extremely excited about the trip next week.  I should be in Barrow by next Friday and am eager to get out on the ice and get to work. I grew up in the Northeast, so I'm used to a little bit of cold, but it's hard to imagine the cold in Barrow.  To give you an idea of that cold, the current wind chill up there is 37 degrees below zero.  Be sure to keep checking back in on this blog over the next two and a half weeks to get daily updates from the Arctic, full of personal experiences and many pictures.