28th Annual Student Research Conference
The Fatal Decision of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
Shelby W. Wilson
Dr. James A. Padfield, Faculty Mentor
The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was led by Sir Douglas Mawson in 1911 to 1914. The mission of the trip was to explore and map the Australian side of Antarctica, a task never completed before. A small group of three men set out to survey the land and, due to harsh weather conditions and terrain, one fell in a crevasse to his death along with much of the men's supplies. At this point a serious decision had to be made by the remaining two: to head directly back to base using the few dogs left to pull the sled, continue on surveying, or consume the rest of their dog sled team as food and carefully walk back. Ultimately, Mawson decided to use the dogs as a food source. Given the circumstances and the possible outcomes of the choices, Mawson made the best decision possible in the situation.
Keywords: Douglas Mawson, Australasian Antarctic Expedition, interdisciplinary
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary
History
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 8-3
Location: GEO-SUB
Time: 3:30