Welcome to Antarctic Ambassadors

Hello, I am Beverley Hopkins I live in Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales. My maiden name is Wilson. I am the great great niece of Dr Edward Wilson. I love and respect Antarctica. From a young age my father always encouraged me to read books about Antarctica, he even came into my primary school and talked about Antarctica and gave a bit of polar history. My interest only grew as I went to University to study Veterinary Medicine in London. I was able to attend talks at the RGS and frequently visited Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) with my uncle Dr David Wilson, polar historian. Although I haven’t been able to work in Antarctica and I can’t afford to visit one day I do very much hope that I will be able to go. My brother has worked for BAS in South Georgia both at KEP and Bird Island, but I’ve never crossed the equator. I attended the Discovery centenary celebrations in Dundee in 2001 and the variety of Terra Nova centenary celebrations in Cheltenham, London and Swansea in 2012. I support the Wilson museum in Cheltenham.

I educate others by sharing my distanced experience of Antarctica. I teach my daughters the importance of Antarctica the continent, as well as the history. They recently enjoyed a visit to RRS Discovery while on holiday in Scotland. I am a Guide and Ranger leader with Girlguiding Ceredigion. I am currently working on a Challenge badge with my youngest daughter on Antarctica to raise money for RRS Discovery.
My experiences and family history allow me to advocate Antarctica and when the need arises I will discuss Antarctica with my local MP.
I am a keen scientist and try to be as climate friendly in my family life at home, at work and in the volunteer groups I work with. I’m a conscious consumer. The garden is full of wild flowers for the bees and insects and we garden organically. In working to safeguard Antarctica we all need to do what we can at home.

I am proud to be an Antarctic Ambassador and hope I can do more to safeguard this amazing continent in the future.
I now work in pathology and also teach in Aberystwyth University, I hope that these links will strengthen with the university so I can educate and advocate Antarctica to students too!

Hi! I’m Marina Salazar. I visited Antarctica on an expedition in January 2016. It was life changing. Being in that environment was humbling. I fell in love with the penguins. Their intrepid, noble spirits have been an inspiration for me in my life ever since. When I hit a proverbial bump in the road, I turn, and keep waddling.

Antarctica found a permanent place in my heart. I “revisit” often through my photos, videos and memories, as well as watch documentaries and read articles to keep abreast of what is happening there. I share my experience and knowledge of Antarctica with family, friends and colleagues regularly, including with my 13 year old granddaughter. To support the Antarctic ecosystem, I use eco friendly products and have adopted a primarily vegetarian diet. I regularly support researchers, photographers and organizations that advocate for Antarctica. Visiting Antarctica had a profound effect on me and my life. Although I regularly travel in remote locations throughout the world, it was Antarctica that inspired me to look deeply at my personal responsibility to actively support and advocate for the region.

I will always advocate to protect Antarctica.

Hello. My name is Saleem H. Ali. As an educator and researcher, Antarctica presents a model of planetary cooperation between countries. I have been interested in the continent ever since I worked on a collection of essays for a book titled “Diplomacy on Ice” (Yale University Press, 2015) and had an opportunity to visit the continent in 2022. I am particularly interested in having greater involvement of developing countries on Antarctic research and exploration.

My country of origin, Pakistan, has a small research station (Jinnah station) in Queen Maud Land but without funding has not been able to develop much research on the continent. Those of us Pakistanis who now reside overseas in developed countries (I also have American and Australian citizenship) are eager to build capacity for researchers in our lands of origin to experience the wonders of the Antarctic through science.

I also serve on the United Nations International Resource Panel which seeks to inform UN member states about the state of the world’s natural resources for more effective development planning. With climate change, Antarctica is getting global attention. Managing access with care through “citizen science” and experiential education is important as tourist numbers rise. I also serve on the board of a non-profit organisation called “Adventure Scientists” which aims to link scientists with expeditions for procuring crowd-sourced data.

My name is Hazel Pittwood. I am an expedition naturalist/guide working primarily for an IAATO Operator. 2021 was my first time working in Antarctica. I truly fell in love with Antarctica and I can’t wait to return there! I previously worked as a Wildlife Officer/Ocean Conservationist and my areas of specialism are marine mammals and seabirds.

As a guide I work to inspire and educate visitors to Antarctica regarding the wildlife of this region and the ecosystems/habitat. By utilising my skills, experience and enthusiasm I strive to foster interest and enjoyment in the natural splendour of this incredible area whilst also instilling values of wanting to conserve and protect it for the future. I also seek to contribute to research by collecting sightings data for wildlife, submitting photos to HappyWhale as one example.

Alongside this, when I am back home in the UK I find opportunities to engage with people regarding Antarctica, such as delivering talks for local community groups, and how we all have a part to play in safeguarding this awe-inspiring frozen wilderness and its wildlife, whether or not we are ever fortunate enough to visit, and no matter how far away we live from this remote region: what happens in Antarctica affects all of us, worldwide.

I really want my experiences to count, so I am dedicated and committed to advocating for Antarctica in any way I can, both when I have the privilege to be work there and when I am at home (wishing I was there!) I am also making changes in my personal life such as minimising the use of single use plastics and only consuming locally sourced, sustainably caught seafood.