2005 Everest Expedition: Experiments

While walking into base camp and climbing Mount Everest, Rob will be conducting three experiments for other Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

I-Ex Technology

Rob will also be experimenting with the I-Ex technologies developed by Prof. Austin Tate's team at the University of Edinburgh. I-Ex uses the I-X/IM-PACs technology which is being packaged for productive use in a project supported by the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Fund. He will attempt to test basic communications and reporting functionalities, with web-site and blogging support provided at Edinburgh, and gain general experience of the practicalities of using computer support of this type in extreme environments. More on the IM-PACs project and the I-Ex technologies for extreme expedition support can be found here.

Primula Specimen Collection

While on his way to Base Camp, Rob will be helping to collect material for a research project. Prof. David Rankin, from Edinburgh University, and Pam Eveleigh from Calgary in Canada, are planning to record microscope and electron microscope images of seeds of as many species of Primula as possible. There are more than 400 altogether, so finding specimens is quite a task.

These beautiful plants are widely grown, but all too often seeds that have been incorrectly named are circulated. As many species come from the Himalaya, Rob will collect some samples of seeds that have remained on the plants over the winter, while also being able to confirm their identities by photographing the flowering plants or collecting dried specimens.

Metabolic Rate Measurement

For Prof. John Speakman of the University of Aberdeen, Rob will try an experiment to measure metabolic rates by drinking an isotope-laced liquid and seeing how quickly it flushes out of his body.
Rob is also raising money for Care for the Wild International, a charity that helps to protect and preserve tigers in the wild. To make a donation, just e-mail your pledge to Rob.