Jen Loxton, a Marine Biology PhD student at Heriot-Watt, is off on a two month expedition in the Antarctic, diving to gather samples which will help to track the effects of climate change in this fragile environment.
She will be collecting bryozoans, tiny colony building creatures whose exoskeletons can provide information on environmental conditions past, present and future. She will be leaving in early January, and you can follow her preparations and adventures through her blog, "Under the Antarctic Southern Sea", or on Twitter, @jenloxton.
Jen's expedition is being undertaken as a collaboration between Heriot-Watt University, the Natural History Museum and the British Antarctic Survey.
Heriot-Watt University graduate and marine scientist Jennifer Loxton is embarking on a research project in Antarctica. Her studies involve looking at the skeletons of tiny marine animals to understand how environmental change such as ocean acidification or warming may affect them and the rest of our seas in the future.
This project is being supported with a grant of £2,000 from Heriot-Watt University's Alumni Fund.