Zorigto Namsaraev goes back to Princess Elisabeth station

Dear all,
Zorigto Namsaraev, the Russian post-doc working with Annick Wilmotte at the Centre for Protein Engineering of the University of Liège, is going back to the Antarctic station. This time, he leaves Belgium on 15th December 2010 and will come back begin February 2011.
Zorigto was already there in January 2010, as you can see if you look at 'BELDIVA 2010' in this blog. He has started several experiments that he will continue this time. Thanks to the experience of the last expedition, we had new ideas, we improved the equipment, and now, we hope to obtain more interesting data on the living conditions of the microorganisms, and when they do photosynthesis during a 24H cycle. Zorigto will also carry out filtrations of the air, to detect if and how microorganisms are transported to this part of Antarctica, and cooperate with the meteorologists (Alexander Mangold and his colleagues, Prof Willy Maenhaut of the University of Gent) to know where the winds that he has filtered come from. And other things as well....

This time, I will again become the 'ghostwriter' of Zorigto, and will write this blog on the basis of emails and pictures.
Zorigto explaining the measurement chambers to his ghostwriter

We are very thankful to the Rector of the University of Liège, Prof. Bernard Rentier, who accepted to give an interim contract to Zorigto because the prolongation of the BELDIVA project is not yet finalized.
I hope that you will enjoy this new set of adventures.
Cheers, Annick