When the North Pole becomes a classroom

For 15-year-old Xyleen Mapunda, her first trip overseas took her about as far from home as she could possibly go. The Tanzanian student travelled to the North Pole, saw snow and polar bears, and stood on the Arctic ice.

“It was simply an incredible feeling. Standing on the Arctic and holding my country’s flag … that excitement is impossible to describe in words,” she said.

Indonesian student Galen Athayam Rinaldi Putra, 16, had a similarly unforgettable experience. Reaching the North Pole during the month Indonesia celebrated its independence made the journey especially meaningful for the East Java teenager.

Xyleen and Galen were among 68 students aged 14 to 16 who joined a 10-day scientific and educational expedition aboard the nuclear-powered icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy”. The participants came from a range of countries and had been selected through an international science competition.

Malaysia’s connection to the expedition came through Bernama, which joined media representatives from seven other countries in Murmansk to witness the students begin their journey north.

The ship departed on Aug 4, travelling across the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole and Franz Josef Land, before returning to Murmansk on Aug 13.

For many of the teenagers, the voyage was a first encounter not only with the Arctic but also with a scientific environment far removed from an ordinary classroom. They took part in experiments, learnt about Arctic shipping, and saw first-hand how researchers work in one of the world’s most remote regions.

One of the highlights was an aerospace laboratory set up on board, where students worked alongside scientists on real experiments. These included launching a radiosonde to support communications in remote Arctic areas, and testing a returnable stratospheric platform for environmental monitoring.

Anton Yurmanov, an expert involved in the expedition, said the aim was to combine learning with practical scientific work. And indeed, there was plenty of adventure alongside the science: the students had the chance to explore the icebreaker, learn how it navigates through thick Arctic ice, and keep watch for polar bears along the way!

The platform reached an altitude of more than 15km and travelled over 100km before landing on Hooker Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

Some parents and teachers were in Murmansk to see the young participants off. Mina Semele Masoga, a science teacher from Pretoria, South Africa, said she hoped the experience would stay with them long after they returned home.

“This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of the schoolchildren here. I hope they will bring home the knowledge and experiences they gain and share them with their peers,” she told Bernama.

The scale of the adventure was hard to miss even before the ship sailed. Students in red winter coats gathered on deck against the icebreaker’s striking red hull, while researchers and scientists stood nearby in blue and the flags of participating countries fluttered in the cold Arctic wind.

Even before they headed north, Murmansk itself was already chilly, with temperatures hovering around 8-10°C at the time of departure.

By the time the expedition ended, the students had experienced a part of the world in a way few teenagers ever will. They returned not only with photos and memories, but with a closer look at how science can move beyond textbooks and into some of the most extraordinary places on Earth.

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