Ursula Rack, PhD

What’s the work that you do?

My passion is polar history, especially social history and history of science. I look into the not so well known Antarctic expeditions to bring awareness of their contribution to science and our understanding of the Polar Regions over the centuries. Events and biographies are linked and I like to understand and highlight these connections. However, I am also researching the people and institutions that worked with the results the explorers brought back. How did exploration influence the expeditioners’ personal lives and those of their relatives? Polar history is very comprehensive.

What keeps you going?

I have been always passionate about history but since my PhD studies, I got completely absorbed in polar history. Working with evidence that I find mostly in archives to strengthen my hypothesis is fascinating. The more I study, the more questions emerge and it keeps me hungry for more information. As a lecturer on expedition cruise ships, I can share my passion and introduce the guests to the Polar Regions and the history of the places we visit. I also teach history into Antarctic studies courses at the university. Research and sharing the results keep me going.

What’s your message to the world?

Our lives are influenced by our history – we can spoil it or enhance it. The extreme conditions in the Polar Regions, especially in the Antarctic, can show us our limits very quickly. However, the Antarctic is not only powerful, it is also very fragile. My aim is to show the dynamics in the Antarctic and the Arctic over time so that many people see the importance of these regions and become active to save them.