Meltdown

In Meltdown, Sarah Boon tells us about field adventures in snow and ice, the tough decision of choosing an academic career over that of a writer, and the challenges she faces as a woman in science. Her story blends adventure and academia as she traverses John Evans Glacier on Ellesmere Island, builds weather stations in northern British Columbia, samples proglacial rivers, and scares away grizzlies with helicopters. Along the way, Boon finds inspiration in the stories of historic female explorers like Mary Schaffer Warren and Phyllis Munday, celebrating the tenacity of women in the field. But her path isn't without obstacles. In addition to the physical and psychological rigours of fieldwork, Boon faces gender bias, departmental politics, and job insecurity in academia. Her journey is also marked by injury, struggles with imposter syndrome, and a serious mental health diagnosis. Meltdown is an honest and reflective narrative about the process of finding your identity, the need for open conversations around mental health and science, and one woman's pursuit of balance between her career and personal life.

Prologue
Maps
1. View from the Top
2. History Around the Corner
3. Preparing for Takeoff
4. Twenty-Four-Hour Daylight
5. Staying the Arctic Course
6. Goodbye to the Arctic
7. Not "Paying Attention"
8. Into the Forest
9. Women in Science
10. Outside Science
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography