The author, Sarah Andrews, will interact with NSF-funded earth science investigators in Antarctica to collect material for a mystery novel, In Cold Pursuit, that will incorporate Antarctica and Antarctic research into a novel in her Em Hansen forensic geology mystery series. The purpose of In Cold Pursuit is to bring the value of Antarctic research to the public in an easily understood, appealing, and compelling form appropriate for adult and young adult (ages 12 and up) readers. In Cold Pursuit will highlight current U.S. antarctic geological research. Because geographic and scientific exploration is Antarctica's cultural heritage, the plot will have a fictional forensic geologist come to Antarctica as part of a forensic team that is investigating the fate of a fictional explorer. Once there, her inquiring mind and scientific bent will carry the reader into a scientist's-eye-view of life and research on the ice continent. Sarah Andrews has published nine novels in the Em Hansen forensic geology series with a major New York publisher and has three decades of achievement as a geologist, teacher, and writer. In researching the Em Hansen novels, she works collaboratively with her geological colleagues, thereby presenting not only current scientific knowledge but also comprehension of the benefits provided by earth science professionals to our culture. She increases the impact, outreach, and integration of her work with a website (www.sarahandrews.net) and talks to the lay public and her scientific colleagues, thus building a bridge between science and its beneficiaries. The broader impacts of the proposed work will be a better-educated, wiser public with a growing interest in U.S. polar research, role-model support for women in the geosciences, and a work of literature that will provide Geoscience education for readers.
