Susan is a geologist, geophysicist, journalist and 'extreme' snorkeler with an intense curiosity about planetary processes, the marine environment, climate change and global sustainability issues.

A member of the New York Explorers Club, Susan's exploration interests have evolved from her scientific, environmental and journalistic backgrounds which flow together seamlessly on a continuum. She's incorporated the sciences of geology and geophysics into field work being conducted on climate change around the world, with a particular interest and focus on polar regions. An extreme snorkeler, her area of interest — and expertise — is exploring the planet from the water-air-land interface which provides a unique window to investigate the flora and fauna of the planet's largely unexplored oceans and adjacent land masses.

Susan returns to Antarctica in February 2012, participating in the International Antarctic Expedition (IAE) which focuses on climate change, renewable energy and global sustainability issues. Led by Robert Swan, OBE, the IAE 2012 includes a Leadership on the Edge Program, designed to promote team work in harsh conditions and to create environmental educators at the personal, corporate, community and country levels. Robert Swan, OBE, the first man to walk (unassisted) to both the South and North Pole. In November 2012, Swan will make history again, by walking to the South Pole, supported solely by solar and wind power.

As a public speaker, Susan conveys the excitement and romance of modern-day polar exploration, delivering multi-media presentations to diverse audiences for educational and awareness purposes. On May 19, 2012, Susan will present "A Geoscientist in Antarctica: Following in Shackleton's Footsteps One Hundred Years Later," at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's IMAX Theatre. Hosted by the Houston Geological Society, her presentation will reach an audience comprised of school children, university students, the general public and geoscientists.

As a geologist and geophysicist, Susan has developed a successful career in the Canadian energy sector, attaining the position of Vice President of Exploration in several junior oil and gas companies. Known for her business acumen, she's been listed in the Who's Who of Canadian Women Directory. Through her wholly owned consultancy, SR ECO Consultants Inc., Susan works as a geoscientist, consulting to the Canadian, American and international petroleum and financial sectors on oil and gas exploration and production, environmental risk assessments, media relations and acquisitions and divestitures.

Equipped with degrees in biology, geology, geophysics and journalism, Susan began her broadcasting career in 1987, as a television reporter with CBC-TV. Since then, she's successfully blended her scientific and journalistic skills to tell stories which, she believes, engages the reader in the natural world around us. A member of the Canadian Science Writers' Association, she specializes in reporting on science and technology, business, oil and gas, renewable energy, the environment, ecotourism and extreme snorkeling. Susan contributes regularly to several Canadian and American magazines and publications, including newspapers. Her articles and photographs have been published in Alberta Oil, New Technology Magazine, Enviroline, Popular Mechanics, the Calgary Herald, the Edmonton Journal, the Vancouver Sun, Business Edge News Magazine, EXPLORER Magazine, The PEG and the Financial Post. << MORE >>

BY SUSAN R. EATON, FOR THE CALGARY HERALD, OCTOBER 2011

Elysium Visual Epic Expedition.: (L to R) of Jonathan Shackleton (cousin to Sir Ernest), Expedition Historian; Susan R. Eaton, Expedition Geophysicist and Journalist, and Dr. Toni Williamson, Expedition Geologist, at Shackleton's gravesite in Grytviken, South Georgia, February 2010.

Sir Ernest Shackleton probably hadn't planned on leaving three crates of Scotch whisky in Antarctica, and I certainly never imagined drinking it in Calgary, one hundred years later. But thanks to the 2007 discovery of the 19th century liquor under the floor boards of Shackleton's abandoned Antarctic hut, whisky aficionados in Calgary recently raised a toast to the polar explorer. We weren't tasting the original golden malt, however, but a precise recreation - Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky. << MORE >>

BY SUSAN R. EATON, FOR THE EDMONTON JOURNAL, OCTOBER 2011

Wilderness astronomers Yuichi Takasaka (L) and Peter McMahon (R) stargazing at the tongue of the Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and Dark Sky Preserve (image: Yuichi Takasaka, www.blue-moon.ca)

JASPER - Performing a weird rendition of hopscotch, I leap over voluminous piles of elk poop as I zigzag my way toward the Jasper Information Centre National Historic Site on Connaught Drive. A quick inspection of the bottom of my boots indicates that I need to hone my hopscotch moves, and that Jasper’s four-legged residents — the donors are nowhere to be seen at the moment — are integral to the nitrogen cycle of this sleepy town of 5,000, nestled in Jasper National Park. I’m in town to learn the basics of “wilderness astronomy,” Jasper’s newest tourism activity. Declared a Dark Sky Preserve in March 2011, by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Jasper National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is gearing up to host its first Dark Sky Festival from Oct. 21-24. << MORE >>

BY SUSAN R.EATON, EXPLORER CORRESPONDENT, JANUARY 2011

I began by assembling the basics for my field trip to Antarctica and South Georgia: surface geology maps, topographic maps, hiking boots, wool socks, a back pack and two digital cameras. My gear list soon ballooned to include a hydrophone, an Iridium satellite phone, a laptop computer, an Arctic-rated dry suit (which doubles as a survival suit), flares, an underwater camera housing, long underwear, a parka, mitts, hats and knee-high rubber boots. Three hundred and fifty pounds (of equipment) later, I was rigged for a modern-day geology and geophysics field trip to the bottom of the world. I was ready to tackle one of the harshest climates on Earth.<< MORE >>

BY SUSAN R.EATON, EXPLORER CORRESPONDENT, FEBRUARY 2011

A replica of the James Caird, the 22-foot life boat that Shackleton and five of his men sailed 800 miles across the Scotia Sea, from Elephant Island to South Georgia. Photo taken in a museum in Grytviken, South Georgia, the final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922)

The imposing cliffs and cascading glaciers of Elephant Island faded into the mist as we set out across the Scotia Sea, retracing Sir Ernest Shackleton’s heroic, 800-mile ocean voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia. Shackleton’s 1916 crossing took 17 days in the James Caird, a 22-foot life boat rigged with a canvas deck and small sail, and equipped with a sextant and compass. During our three-day crossing, my fellow explorers and I were humbled by Shackleton’s achievement; our vessel, the 70-meter Professor Molchanov, rolled up to 25 degrees, water crashed over her decks, and the topsides became encrusted snow and ice – one of a mariner’s worst fears. << MORE >>

With an equal mixture of excitement and trepidation -- and a final, furtive scan of the horizon for polar bears -- I drop over the side of the boat, into the icy Arctic waters of Hudson Bay. As I hit the water, my breathing is reduced to shallow, frenetic gulps inhaled through my snorkel. I'm decked out from head to toe in an Arctic rated dry suit, yet I'm not completely adapted to this aqueous otherworld.

I bob just below the water's surface -- balancing by my ankles on a tow line -- as the boat driver trolls me and my snorkelling buddy through Hudson Bay, like bait on a line... In the distance, I can see the town of Churchill, Manitoba, which is comforting."Belugas at three o'clock and moving quickly," shouts our driver, as I replay the advice from Brian Sheehan, curator of marine mammals for the Vancouver Aquarium, who told me how to identify "happy" versus "agitated" beluga behaviour. When a beluga contorts its body into a C-shaped pretzel, said Sheehan, watch out.<< MORE >>

On October 26th at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, the Honorary Address will bring together two adventurous geoscientists to share the experiences they gained exploring the planet's polar extremes: distinguished speakers Dr. Jacob Verhoef and Susan R. Eaton, P.Geol., P.Geoph. The Honorary Address is a Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG) Outreach Program that provides an opportunity for 2,000 Calgary Junior High students and the general public to explore the Geosciences and their relevance to Society.
<< MORE >>

As a planetary field geologist, John Grant gets excited when he completes a 150-meter-long traverse in just one day. From his office at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum – where Grant analyzes images beamed to Earth from NASA’s two Mars Exploration Rovers – he interprets micro- and macro-scale planetary geology on-the-fly. His job is to maximize the science conducted, and to help keep the Mars Exploration Rovers safe while they explore the surface of the Red Planet. Grant’s mission is, indeed, to boldly go where no geologist has gone before.<< MORE >>

On October 26, 2010, Susan R. Eaton will journey to the Bottom of the World when she presents a multi-media presentation on Antarctica and South Georgia, at the 2010 CSPG Honorary Address. Susan's presentation, entitled "A Geoscientist in Antarctica: Following in Shackleton's Footsteps 100 years later," will detail her participation in the Elysium Visual Epic Expedition 2010.

Edmonton Journal
Edmonton, Alberta

Dark Sky sparkles over Jasper: Fall ushers in mountain town’s inaugural stargazing festival

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/travel/Dark+sparkles+over+Jasper/5551416/story.html