Category: News

Seven students, two of whom are scientists, along with two recent alumni have won the support of the RCSA Trust and of the IC Exploration Board for their Lofoten Islands, Norway 2023 Expedition. The Lofoten Islands are a collection of seven main islands and countless smaller islands 300 km to the north of the Arctic Circle.

All accomplished mountaineers and associated with IC Mountaineering Club, the nine young adventurers will spend two weeks in August in a self-skippered cruising sailboat, stopping at various cliffs and climbing areas, as they make a counter-clockwise lap of the archipelago.

The sailing will be challenging, as most of the group are relative novices. The climbing, too, will be challenging as the climbing environment is mostly granite slabs and cracks, the majority of which are left unbolted.

We wish the group, and particularly our two intrepid scientists, the best of luck with this expedition and look forward to reading their post-expedition report and attending their post expedition presentation, to which RCSA members will be invited.

As one part of its programme, the RCSA Trust have been supporting the adventurous activities of our science students since 1990. Please consider making a donation to the Trust. Any amount, however small, will be gratefully received and every penny will be faithfully applied to assist the students of the Royal College of Science. [...] Read more...

Five young scientists, all attached to the Grantham Institute, have won the support of the RCSA Trust and of the IC Exploration Board for their hike along the Karkunkierros Trail in north-eastern Finland, right on the border with Russia.

An expedition to the Arctic by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century serves as the founding inspiration for this trip, and the five are working closely with the Linnean Society of London.

In 1732, Carl Linnaeus, the renowned Swedish biologist, underwent an expansive exploration of northern Scandinavia, documenting the flora and fauna found within. The trip proved to be seminal in his career, wherein he tested out his newly developed system of taxonomy which would later become fundamental to biology.
His trip is approaching its 300th anniversary and, coincidentally, he began his trip at the same age as many in our expedition party. We therefore think the timing provides the perfect opportunity, both to commemorate his adventure and to forge one of our own.

Becky Ryder, Expedition Leader

The main aim of hiking the Karkunkierros Trail (which translates into English as “Bear’s Trail” or “Bear’s Ring”) is to observe and record the natural history of the region. The birds and the flora encountered during the hike will be input into two important biological databases – eBird and iNaturalist, respectively. [...] Read more...