Direction signage for Alert, Canada, with a huge array of other locations.

Co-op Up North - Mitchell Duchene Reflects on his Term in Nunavut

Where can U of G co-op take you? As far north as Alert, Nunavut, for Mitchell Duchene, an ecology co-op student.

Today, on National Work-Integrated Learning Day, we're highlighting what he learned working in the furthest north year-round inhabited location in the world.

Mitchell, next to a pile of snowy rocks looks out over the icy expanse

Tell us all about your co-op placement in Alert, Nunavut

"My position as Assistant GAW Lab Operator in Alert, Nunavut was my first co-op placement, and it sort of blind-sided me in the best way possible. I applied as a sort of “shot-in-the-dark,” not expecting to get the job, but figuring it’s worth applying regardless. I wasn’t aware before my first job search that opportunities as wild as practically going to the North Pole (only 800km north) would be something a co-op student gets to do."

Mitchell hugs the entrance to the Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory

"In Alert, I worked in the Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory (affectionately coined the “GAW Lab”) for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). As a bit of background, the GAW Lab serves as a greenhouse gas intercomparison site and has been monitoring changing atmospheric conditions since 1986. Being incredibly remote, Alert’s laboratory is capable of background air monitoring, which means researchers use its data as a baseline for how pollutants circulate towards the northern hemisphere."

An arctic wolf almost winks, peering at the camera

"The job itself had me collecting air and snow samples, conducting meteorological checks and, in general, ensuring the proper function and condition of the lab’s sophisticated equipment. A good portion of this work was outdoors, and when I touched down in Alert, it was during the period of 24-hour darkness, which so happens to be the coldest time of year as well (think -40°C and below). While ECCC graciously supplies all the fancy gear to protect you from the cold, the tundra is still pretty unforgiving! Thankfully, I also had the opportunity to experience 24-hour sun for the second half of my term, which is much more bearable."

A pink and purple sunset over the icy landscape

"There were so many parts to this work term that honestly made it feel much less like work and more like an incredible experience that I was in awe of the entire time. There was a lot more to do than most people would expect. There were sports, trips off station to see the sights, live music performances from station members (I was even in the band!), movie nights, events for various holidays and so much more. It’s safe to say there was never really a dull moment."

Mitchell stopped on an endless and wide-open icy road

"To get to the lab (located about 6km south of the station), ECCC provides trucks equipped with snowmobile-esque tracks in place of tires, for driving over the snow. As cool as that sounds (and it was), the trucks can’t drive faster than 40km/h, which makes a 6km drive a lot longer than you’d anticipate. My supervisor and I passed the time listening to homemade mixtapes on CDs that we burnt in the office (so retro!)."

"Seeing as you are so isolated from the rest of the world, and exposed to some of the coldest temperatures on earth, you’d expect that it could get a bit difficult to keep your spirits up in Alert. This is exactly what worried me before I made the rash decision to pack up my life for four months and go to the northernmost tip of Canada. But, Alert had a more tightly knit community than I could have ever hoped for. Most of the people on station are experiencing Alert for the first time as well, and are in the exact same boat being so far from home. In my opinion, this is a recipe for what I found to be one of the most welcoming communities I’ve ever had the privilege to be a part of. I’d highly recommend this experience to anyone."

Signage for Caribou Road, "the longest road on Ellesmere Island"

What will you take away from this experience?

"I was pretty nervous to go so far from home for the first time in my life, but I wanted to push myself to do something out of my comfort zone. I think my experience in Alert has sparked a desire to see more of the world and to try things that might scare me or make me uncomfortable at first. I’m super thankful for my experience in Alert for this reason."

How has it impacted what you know about yourself and your career trajectory?

"While I was in Alert, I deepened my fascination and love for wildlife. Being an ecology major, I was working a bit outside of my field in this position. While I loved being a GAWperator and doing atmospheric science work, I see my career trajectory being more wildlife and ecosystem focused. Luckily, the wildlife in Alert was so unique, and allowed me to see some species I’ve never seen before. I was able to spot some polar bears roaming on the sea ice (from a safe distance of course), countless arctic hares, foxes, and arctic wolves as well. In fact, one morning I was woken up by a mother wolf howling for her pups. I guess I can cross that off my bucket list!"

Mitchell next to a massive sheer ice cliff

What was the most challenging obstacle of working in Alert and how did you overcome it?

"I think the most challenging obstacle of working this job was being so remote and removed from everything. Being in the high Arctic has its challenges both physically and mentally. Working outdoors in the cold is an adjustment, and changes from 24-hour darkness to 24-hour light can be incredibly confusing to your sleep schedule. Being so far away from family and friends is also difficult, and Alert doesn’t exactly have high speed internet, so communicating with everyone down south wasn’t easy. However, these challenges were also some of the more charming parts of being in Alert. Not a single day went by where I couldn’t cheer myself up from being miserable in the cold by looking around and taking in the beauty of the landscape. I think that as disconnected as I felt from everything, it allowed me to really connect to my experience and the people on station."

Michelle, outside of the Alert station at night, with arms raised in celebration

Why did you choose to study co-op at the University of Guelph?

"Choosing the co-op program wasn’t something that I even originally planned to do. Going into university, I wasn’t exactly sure of my career path, and I even struggled to decide on a major. I took a gap year after high school to make sure I made the right decision, and when I decided to pursue the environmental sciences, I wanted to have an opportunity to get work experiences while I study to help me figure out what career path really appealed to me."

Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory for Environment and Climate Change Canada at dusk

What advice would you give to students considering co-op?

"Keep an open mind. As cliché as it sounds, the co-op experience is entirely what you make of it. I think I went in to it hoping to travel or do something a bit outside the box, but you don’t even have to do that to have a good experience. I would try to think of using your co-op terms as a way of figuring out what you like and don’t like. That way, by the end of your degree, you may have a better idea of what you want to do in your career. I think the co-op program is really great for that."

All images courtesy of Mitchell Duchene.