Photo by @estherhorvath My portrait series on women in Arctic science focuses on climate researchers and explorers who work in one of the world’s most challenging environments: Ny-Ålesund, in Norway's Svalbard archipelago—the northernmost community in the world that's home to a diverse group of scientists. I capture my subjects in the magical atmosphere of a place connected to their work—and in this case, their dreams. Katie Sipes, a postdoctoral researcher, dressed as her favorite movie character, Frozen's Elsa. She took this costume with her on a permafrost expedition because she had dreamed of somehow finding an occasion to wear it in the far reaches of Norway, which inspired the film's fictional kingdom. With this portrait, she now had the chance. Sipes identifies with the character's call to forge her own path, and the idea, she says, that “strong females don’t need a prince.” Her mission is to study Arctic ecosystems and the organisms that rely on them, she says, "allowing humans to better understand the magnitude and incredible diversity that lives on our own planet." And knowing this extreme environment better might prime us to better understand other planets, she adds. She's drawn by a sense of urgency: "This endangered ecosystem is on the cusp of being lost forever. The purity of the Arctic amplifies the desire to preserve and study all of its hidden secrets that might change our world.” Follow me @estherhorvath for more polar science stories.