Science in the Wild

Meet Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña - a scientist, mountaineer, and founder of Science in the Wild

Dr. Ulyana will bring us aboard the expedition vessel Le Commandant Charcot, where we’ll meet the crew, learn more about the amazing science being done, and answer all your questions about the frozen north!

Tune in this Tuesday for Exploring By The Seat’s FIRST adventure from one of the farthest reaches of planet earth 🌍

Watch LIVE via our YouTube channel - https://exploringbytheseat.com/lessons/live-from-the-geographic-north-pole-on-le-commandant-charcot/

This is what it’s all about: kids connecting with real scientists and realizing they once started out as passionate kids too.

What an unreal event from the frontiers of Arctic science with Science in the Wild!

Thanks so much for braving the cold and taking off your gloves to flip the camera for us 😂 you’re the coolest!!

Perched at over 7,000 feet elevation, Cave of the Winds, near Pikes Peak in Colorado, is a geologic time capsule. This ancient cave system is carved into Mississippian-age limestone, formed more than 300 million years ago when a shallow sea once covered the region. Over time, acidic water seeped through cracks in the rock, slowly dissolving the limestone and forming the intricate cave passages and delicate calcium carbonate speleothems (like stalactites and flowstone) we see today.

But how do scientists figure out when these formations grew? That’s where isotopes come in. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons—meaning they have different masses. Some isotopes are stable, while others are radioactive and decay over time, which makes them useful for dating materials. In caves, scientists use uranium-thorium dating, which relies on the radioactive decay of uranium-234 into thorium-230 in calcium carbonate deposits—ideal for dating old formations.

By measuring the ratio of uranium to thorium in speleothems, researchers can calculate when mineral layers were deposited—some dating back over 500,000 years. These records not only reveal the cave’s history but also unlock secrets about ancient climates. As dripwater chemistry changed with shifts in rainfall, vegetation, and temperature, the cave archives it all—layer by layer—making Cave of the Winds a natural library of the Earth’s past.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the U.S. government agency responsible for foreign aid and development assistance. Its mission is to promote global development, humanitarian relief, and economic growth, supporting U.S. foreign policy and national security goals. Other key areas include global health, education and youth development, food security, and climate and environmental sustainability.

During my PhD, while working in Nepal, I received a small USAID grant from their climate change resilient development program. My work focused on understanding the formation and growth of supraglacial lakes - bodies of water that form on the surface of glaciers due to melting ice. These lakes can accelerate glacial melting and pose risks of flooding to downstream communities. The grant helped me to complete my research and build the Sherpa-Scientist Initiative, to teach local communities about environmental hazards, how to monitor for them, and how to potentially mitigate them. It was rewarding work and I am grateful to USAID for the opportunity.

Yesterday was my month 5 check-in following hip surgery. A series of tests revealed very good recovery (strength and flexibility) for the timeframe, as well as a few weaknesses (hip flexor and abductor) to address over this next month. I felt the latter while riding horses and carrying weight on our climb in the Andes a week and a half ago, but couldn’t be happier with the progress!

I am filled with gratitude to be able to return to mountaineering with a much better functioning hip! I am grateful to Ricardo for his help and support during my recovery. I am grateful to my surgeon, Dr. Daniel Haber, and his whole team at Panorama Orthopedics here in Colorado for their skill and care. I am grateful to my physical therapist, Creighton, for aiding my recovery, pushing me during our sessions, and helping me reach my goal in the Andes.

In 2005, Ricardo () found the coat and wallet of Eduardo Strauch (), one of the 16 survivors of the 1972 plane crash made famous in the book and movie, Alive! There’s also a new Netflix movie out about the tragedy called “Society of the Snow.” Highly recommended; it’s beautifully made.

20 years later, here we are at 14,000 feet, in the gully, near to where Ricardo found the coat which changed his and Eduardo’s lives. That discovery led to decades of trips, of them bringing people to the memorial site, lower down on the glacier, and sharing the story of survival. It led to Eduardo writing his own account of the ordeal called “Out of the Silence: After the Crash.” It’s led to multiple documentary features.

It was a powerful and moving experience being up there, envisioning the fuselage barreling down the slope back in 1972. This is such a powerful story - one of friendship, love, leadership and resilience. It’s a testament to the human spirit and what is possible. It’s a reminder to take action and never lose hope, even in adverse and seemingly impossible situations. We, as a society, are sure to confront many of these in the years ahead. But we need to keep moving forward, as communities, with love leading the way. If we encounter dark times, may this story serve as a good reminder of what is possible when good people take action. “There is no greater love than that which gives one’s life for one’s friends.” ❤️

Acclimatization on Cupid (3998 meters - with the snow that I climbed onto, let’s call it 4000 meters 🙂 ), off of Loveland Pass, Colorado. A chance for some meditation, too. When the temperatures are really cold and the wind is blowing hard (making the wind chill -15 deg F/-26 deg C), you are forced to be fully present in the moment!

Happy New Year from México City! 🇲🇽

#2025

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from one of our favorite peaks in Boulder: Bear Peak! Gorgeous weather today for this hike. Much to be grateful for this year, especially being back in the mountains with Ricardo, following my hip surgery 4 months ago! ❤️🏔️😘

Thank you to Planet Action Summit, photographer Katherine Taylor, and TEDxBoston for an incredible event at MIT last week! I left feeling inspired and hopeful for the future.

The Planet Action Summit finished yesterday in the IMAX theater at the New England Aquarium, where we heard from more speakers including retired NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman. We happened to overlap with her just as she was entering the aquarium. We had a lovely chat and she gave me a signed copy of her book. I can’t wait to read it! Her husband, Josh Simpson, is an artist who made the beautiful glass “Planet Oscars” that all speakers received at the conclusion of the Summit. Each one is unique!

Sharing a few photos from my TEDx talk today at the Planet Action Summit at MIT! I was first up this morning, with a talk titled: “Climbing Out of Crisis: Lessons from Snow and Survival.” When I get the final produced video link, I will share it here!

I weave the theme of ice literacy throughout this talk, along with the story of the Andes Survivors. Just as the survivors climbed out of an impossible situation, so can we, in regards to the climate crisis. Resilience, teamwork and a rational, evidence-based assessment of reality is what saved them, and is what we need now. This rings true now more than ever, in light of what occurred earlier this month with the election. Science, progress and climate action can’t wait. We will find a way.

Thank you Alison Sander for inviting me as a speaker! And thank you to the whole TEDxBoston team for all the coaching!

Thanks to those who were able to attend in person: , , , Mark & Robin Ziko, Michael Coote and Rose Fabian!

Thanks and much love to for helping me prepare and practice for this moment these last 6 weeks (sadly, he had to work this weekend and couldn’t be here). ❤️🌎🙏