Michael Rosove’s office on the fifth floor in the UCLA
Medical Plaza is a tale of two worlds, a place where Los Angeles
meets Antarctica.
His wall is cluttered with certificates recognizing his work as
a hematologist and oncologist, and his shelves are lined with
medical books.
But behind his desk is a photograph he took on an island in a
frigid sea, with black and white penguins dotting the Antarctic
landscape. A tiny bean bag penguin sits next to his computer.
This January, after reading hundreds of books on Antarctica,
Rosove lectured about the continent on two trips there with UCLA
Alumni Travel and Lindblad Expeditions.
He says his interest in the Antarctic ““ which has nothing
to do with his job as a doctor ““ began about 25 years ago
when he saw a photograph in a bookstore that sparked a lifelong
fascination with the continent.
“It was the bug that bit and never let go,” he
said.
He has authored two books, well-known to Antarcticphiles,
including one that details the classical and heroic periods during
which adventurers explored the continent. Before writing, he
researched in his spare time and brought Antarctic literature on
vacations.
“I’d read in the evenings or the wee hours of the
morning,” he said. “It just happened.”
For the January trips, Rosove spoke to tourists about
Antarctica’s history, recounting among other details the
lives of explorers, Ernest Shackleton and Otto
Nordenskjöld.
He has been to the Antarctic seven times since 1987, and says
the first time he set foot there, he knew he would return.
“I remember when we got there and made our first landing
… I felt like I had come home,” he said.
While Antarctica is called the white continent, Rosove says the
colors that adorn its landscape are vivid and varied. There is no
dust in the air, which lends a unique quality to the light, he
says.
“It is so alluring. … It’s as close to unspoiled
nature, untouched by mankind, as you can get,” he said.