Dr Gary Steel
Position
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Gateway Antarctica
Senior Lecturer, Lincoln University (links to an external web site)
Qualifications
B.A. (Hons.) ( UVic , Canada );
M.A. (UBC, Canada ); Ph.D (UBC)
Contact Details
Phone: +64-3-325-3820
Fax: +64-3- 325-3857
Email: gary.steel@canterbury.ac.nz
Postal address:
c/- Gateway Antarctica
Level 1, Geography Building
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch
New Zealand
Background
My early research career was spent flying to both ends of the Earth; primarily the Canadian High Arctic, the Antarctic Peninsula (Base Marambio), McMurdo Station and Amundsen-Scott Station. More recently, I have concentrated my psychological research on personnel and scientists connected to the Antarctica New Zealand programme in the Ross Sea Region. Because I seem unable to duck quickly enough, I am the social science representative on the Royal Society of New Zealand's Committee on Antarctic Science, a member of the SCAR Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine, one of two New Zealand Representatives on SCAR’s Standing Scientific Group - Life Sciences, and co-chair of SCAR's Social Sciences Action Group. In a pinch, I can shoot a polar bear, which, it turns out, is only a moderately useful skill in committee work. I am currently Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, and Head of Department (Social Sciences, Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Sport), at Lincoln University .
Undergraduate Courses
ANTA 103
Graduate Courses
ANTA 601
Research Interests
Individual and group adaptation and adjustment to extreme and unusual environments; place attachment; social networks in isolated groups; polar tourism; polar identity; Antarctic heritage.
Selected Publications and Papers
Kirby, V., Stewart, E., & Steel, G.D. (2001). Thinking about Antarctic heritage: Kaleidoscopes and filters. Landscape Research, 26 , 189-202.
Palinkas, L.A. , Reedy, K.R., Smith, M., Otto, C., Silva, W., Steel, G.D., Anghel, M., Reeves, D., Shurtleff, D., Case, H.S., Do, N.V., & Reed, H.L. (2006, July). Effectiveness of thyroid supplement and tyrosine in prevention of decrements in cognitive performance and mood during prolonged Antarctic residence: A randomized clinical trial. Paper presented at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Conference, Hobart , Australia .
Steel, G.D. (2005). Whole lot of parts: Stress in extreme environments. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 76(6), B67-B73.
Steel, G.D. (2001). Polar moods: The third-quarter phenomena in Antarctica . Environment and Behavior, 33, 126-133.
Steel, G.D. (May, 2004). Launching from the Ice: Polar psychology's application to space travel. Talk given to research staff at the Veterans' Administration Hospital , University of California ( San Francisco ), San Francisco , USA .
Stewart, E. J; Kirby, V.G. & Steel, G.D. (2006) Perceptions of Antarctic tourism: A question of tolerance. Landscape Research, 31, 193-214.
Steel, G.D., & Williams, T. (2006, July). “Keep it local”: Advice networks in the Ross Sea Region . Paper presented at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Conference, Hobart , Australia .
Steel, G.D. and Williams, T. ( July, 2005). Decision-making in small groups in Antarctica . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the SCAR Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine, Sofia , Bulgaria .
Williams, T.H. & Steel, G.D. (September, 2005). Value -laden decision –making in a remote environment: Environmental ethical decision-making by Antarctic scientists . Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the New Zealand Psychological Society, 1 st – 4 th September 2005, Dunedin , New Zealand .