Arctic Explorer

Cheryl Katz can’t get back to the Arctic often enough. She’s ventured to Iceland, writing about how population decline in puffins has impacted the long-standing, cherished tradition of puffin hunting; spent time in Greenland as a National Science Foundation fellow, visiting a field site of scientists studying the changing of seasons and how shifts in these patterns have upended the ecosystem; dove into the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean in a survival suit as part of her safety training before walking across treacherous stretches of sea ice.

Despite its extreme weather conditions, Katz finds the Arctic Circle the most beautiful place on the planet. The freelance science and environmental reporter is one of the few people other than scientists and the region’s four million