Campbell speaks to media about polar health screenings

Seth Campbell, associate professor at the University of Maine School of Earth and Climate Sciences and Climate Change Institute, was quoted by Science and E&E News about unfair practices in the polar Physical Qualification, or PQ, process. The comprehensive medical screening is required for scientists and support staff whose deployment to the Antarctic and Arctic regions is funded by the National Science Foundation. Some researchers said they were disqualified from fieldwork based on medical conditions that their own doctors did not consider large risks, particularly mental health concerns. “I want to make sure the students that I’m working with have a better situation — it seems like there’s been one issue after another in the past few years,” Campbell told Science.