The Romance

Kristin and Matt met in Seattle in February of 2000, at a meeting of the National Science Foundation's Arctic System Science Program. Kristin and her colleagues had just won the NSF contract to provide logistics and science support to scientists working in the Arctic (inlcluding Alaska, Greenland, and Russia), and Matt was a scientist with active projects in the Arctic. As Kristin tells the story, she was instantly attracted to Matt and made many attempts to get his attention and provide as much support to him as possible. Matt recalls being attracted to her and wanting some special support, but getting dirty looks instead.

Later that spring when Kristin was in Fairbanks gearing up for summer field work, they bumped into each other again. Matt invited Kristin over for a potluck at his house, still trying to get some support. Kristin came over and brought some yummy food, but after dinner was over she left and we did not see each other again until the same science meeting the following February.

The 2001 meeting was held in Victoria, British Columbia. After seeing each other again, we both decided independently that the other would succumb to their wishes before the meeting was over. Matt decided to hold an impromptu lecture one evening titled 'Enhancing social relationships in the Arctic science community' and invited all the meeting attendees to participate. Kristin and about 20 others joined in the festivities which ran late into the night. After being kicked out of the hotel's rec room, the meeting adjourned to Matt's room. Gradually people filtered out until it was just Kristin and Matt, and they began a story that ends happily ever after...