How I Avoid Burnout: Anne Beaulaurier, Antarctica Field Camp Manager

Cabin fever, overwork, social isolation—as field camp manager at the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica, Anne Beaulaurier has dealt with it all.

Scientists come to McMurdo to undertake long-awaited experiments that their careers depend on—often with detailed plans that implode because of weather or logistics. Beaulaurier handles maintenance, watching over a dozen or so scientists who live in tents. That means she deals with everything from flight coordination and weather tracking to making sure there are supplies and food and beverages and functioning wastewater basins. The job lasts from October to February. “It’s officially nine hours a day, but I’m the first responder for anything that happens,” she says. Think hiking four miles to troubleshoot a heater problem. Or managing the accidental delivery of 1,000 pounds of food. Sound exhausting? It is, but here’s how she avoids burnout: