West Kingston Resident, URI Grad Exploring Antarctica

Amy Smith, a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and Chariho High School, is currently serving as a researcher in Antarctica at McMurdo Station.

There is a webcam of the station – available here – and Amy’s parents, Brian and Loretta Smith, sent in the above picture.

When asked about the experience so far, Amy said, “The picture was taken from the top of Ob Hill, which over looks McMurdo Station. It's about a two hour hike if you hoof it, but it's best to take your time to enjoy the majestic scenery.”

So far, the experience has been an incredible one.

“It's amazing down here. Strangely enough, I've been here for almost three weeks and today [Tuesday] was the first time it snowed, although there is snow on the ground from previous storms.”

Amy is about 16 hours ahead of East Coast time, the same as New Zealand. She left Rhode Island on Oct. 5, made it to New Zealand on Oct. 7, and to Antarctica on Oct. 8, depending on what day you consider it via the time zones.

According to Weather.com, it’s roughly 2 degrees in McMurdo, Antarctica right now.