Welcome to the Antarctic Institute of Canada
About AIC
The Antarctic Institute of Canada (AIC) is a non-profit Canadian charity organization founded in 1985 by former Antarctic researcher, Dr. Austin Mardon. The organization originally aimed to lobby Canada’s Federal government to increase Canadian research in Antarctica. However, AIC slowly diversified and initiated programs for students to publish Antarctic research in newspapers and academic journals.
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These days, the AIC supports academic writing, research, and multimedia in many fields, expanding far beyond the organization’s original focus on Antarctica. While the AIC runs many different programs, such as Riipen and Venture for Canada, this writing and research is primarily facilitated through a summer program funded by Canada Summer Jobs. This summer program empowers individuals under 30 to build up their resume with publications and experience.
Summer Program
The AIC’s summer program is self-run, requiring individuals with the ability to motivate themselves and act as a participating team member. Since the advent of COVID-19, students work remotely, track their hours, and report to Dr. Mardon and experienced team leads who provide mentorship and guidance.
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Throughout the years, our publications have played a pivotal role in many students’ academic and professional journeys, distinguishing their grad school applications and job resumes. Some published materials have gone on to accomplish remarkable feats. For instance, Curveballs has sold over 10,000 copies, while Understanding Music has been used as course materials at King’s University. With diligence and rigour, you may surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.
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To better help students build a relevant portfolio targeted to their desired field, the AIC now give students the opportunity to pitch their own book outlines and article ideas. While AIC’s focus largely remains on the academic world, this flexibility has produced unique books and projects, such as:
Writers
In the past years, Dr. Mardon and his wife, Catherine Mardon, have mentored and guided students to write books and articles on topics such as mental health, generational trauma/history, and growing pains, resulting in published books, such as:
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How to Build and Maintain Relationships with Mental Illness
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Curveballs
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The Adulting Owner’s Manual
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Dark Night Cometh
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Pandemic Theology
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Understanding Music
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Seven Days in Moscow
Further, AIC articles have been featured in publications, such as:
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The Edmonton Journal
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The Calgary Herald
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The Lethbridge Herald
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Canadian Journal of Medicine
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society
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Journal of Classics Teaching​
Graphic Designers
Publishing books requires more than just a writing and research team—that’s why we need a dedicated group of graphic designers to help create and build the structure of the book.
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Graphic designers are tasked with designing jackets and formatting the content of the books. Further, the AIC has ventured in graphic work beyond book structures. Some of these materials include original board games, graphic novels, and various illustrations within the books themselves.
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Examples of these works include:
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Hoarders (Boardgame)
Audio Engineers:
The AIC has initiated the process of converting AIC books into audiobooks.
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These books are recorded at employees’ home studios. Since the manuscripts have already been created by their author coworkers, individuals are tasked with narrating, recording, and editing audio files on their own or in small groups. So far, more than 200 AIC books have been recorded into audiobooks and published on Audiobooks.com, Amazon, and Apple Books.
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Testimonials
“Austin and Catherine saved my university GPA. This program was not only flexible, but it helped me hone in on my skills as an academic writer. Seriously, you should see my early essays compared to my current essays. They pushed me creatively and as a researcher. I am more confident than ever in my writing and look forward to using these skills in my future profession.”
- Brey Dawson
