Schools on Board: deadline June 15th

Schools on Board goes International for International Polar Year! NOW ACCEPTING CANADIAN APPLICATIONS! to 2008 International Schools on Board Field Program Deadline to apply is June 15th, 2007 We’re very excited to announce that our next field programs will be connected to one of the largest IPY research projects being conducted in the Canadian Arctic during International Polar Year (2007-2008). This project, called the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) system study, is an ecosystem study that will occur in the Western Canadian High Arctic (south of Banks Island), onboard the Canadian research icebreaker – CCGS Amundsen. It is multidisciplinary research involving scientists from 15 different countries. The Schools on Board program will work with schools in Canada, International researchers, and northern partners, to form 3 international teams of high school student and teachers, who will join the scientist onboard the icebreaker to learn first-hand, the questions, methods, challenges, and implications of Arctic climate change research. Each field program will include 12 participants –4 Canadian, 8 International. Dates: February to March, 2008 – exact dates of each program will be finalized after the CFL planning meeting in Quebec City, April 25-28th, 2007 Application & Selection: Spaces are only given to schools – schools can apply by filling out a School Application & Agreement form. Selection of schools will be done by committee. The selection criteria is described on the webpage. Successful schools will select their own student or teacher using criteria and forms provided by Schools on Board. Our website has been updated with current information about the 2008 field programs – general itinerary; costs; application process; application forms; and selection criteria. Look for Schools on Board on the following websites: www.umanitoba.ca/ceos www.arcticnet.ulaval.ca Spaces are only allocated to schools – interested individuals (students and teacher) should forward information to their school administrators or science teachers. Due to the limited number of spaces available, only one space will be allocated per school – 6 student and 2 teacher spaces will be allocated. _____________ The Schools on Board Network consists of educators, scientists and agencies who are interested and connected to Arctic climate change research and science education. The network is used to announce field opportunities for high school students and teachers, inviting them to to join ArcticNet scientists and the Canadian Coast Guard, onboard the CCGS Amundsen, to experience a real science expedition in the Arctic/Sub-Arctic. Through its network Schools on Board informs members of field opportunities, classroom resources, and upcoming Arctic Climate Change Youth Forums. Please feel free to forward this email to other educators and scientists. If you would like to be added to, or removed from the network, please send an email to Lucette at: barberl@cc.umanitoba.ca Visit our website at: www.arcticnet.ulaval.ca. Schools on Board is an outreach program of ArcticNet and CFL, housed at the Center for Earth Observation Science at the University of Manitoba.

World Ocean Forum On-Line Event: International Polar Year

Click here to subscribe to the W2O!

May 23, 2007

Dear Ocean Colleague,

The World Ocean Observatory is pleased to announce the launch of our World Ocean Forum On-Line Event: International Polar Year

Many physical and biological systems on the Earth appear to be experiencing substantial recent changes, beyond the expected range of natural variability. These changes show most clearly, and appear to happen most quickly, at the poles. Between 2007 and 2009, thousands of physical, biological and social scientists from more than 60 nations will study the polar regions as part of a large internationally-coordinated research effort known as the International Polar Year (IPY).

The World Ocean Observatory is working in partnership with IPY on several projects during this time. These will be available on this site as they occur over the next two years.

Visit the site for interviews with preeminent scientists involved with IPY:

Kathleen Conlan – Research Scientist, Canadian Museum of Nature

Louis Fortier – Scientific Director of ArcticNet

Michael Stoddart – Chief Scientist, Australian Government Antarctic Division

Patti Virtue – Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies, University of Tasmania

Steve Rintoul – Climate Variability & Change Program, ACE CRC

David Hik – Canada Research Chair in Northern Ecology, University of Alberta;

Executive Director, Secretariat, International Polar Year

To view our current newsletter – the W2O OCEAN OBSERVER: International Polar Year 2007 will Mark a Major Leap in Our Understanding and Appreciation of Polar by Tundi Agardy, PhD, click here.

The World Ocean Observatory is dedicated to information, education and public discourse about the ocean defined as an integrated global social system. We believe that informed citizens worldwide can unite to sustain the ocean through mitigation and change of human behavior on land and sea.

For information on other International Polar Year projects and initiatives, visit the IPY website: http://www.ipy.org

US Portal for IPY Education and Outreach

National Science Foundation (press release)

International Polar Year Web Portal Offers E-mail Alerts for Educators National Science Foundation (press release) - 10 May 2007 ... them when news about federally funded educational materials, classroom resources and information about opportunities to assist scientists in the field is added to the US government's Web portal for the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008. http://www.ipy.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=56

Celebrate the International Polar Year and Join Us for Live from IPY!

Interact with PolarTREC teachers and researchers from the Bering Sea, Summit, Greenland and Barrow, Alaska! Ask questions and view photos. Anyone can register for these upcoming events and participation is free! To read more about the expeditions go to the PolarTREC website at www.polartrec.com. **************************** Live Event Information **************************** You may register for live events below at the following website: http://www.polartrec.com/live-from-ipy/registration You will be sent detailed instructions for joining the live events once you have registered. The following events are available for registration. ************************************************************************ ********* Live from IPY with researcher Jackie Grebmeier in the Northern Bering Sea ************************************************************************ ********* 18 May 2007 7:00 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (5:00 a.m. HDT; 8:00 a.m. PDT; 9:00 a.m. MDT; 10:00 a.m. CDT; 11:00 a.m. EDT). 12 June 2007 9:00 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (7:00 a.m. HDT; 10:00 a.m. PDT; 11:00 a.m. MDT; 12:00 p.m. CDT; 1:00 p.m. EDT) ************************************************************************ ********* Live from IPY with researcher Jackie Grebmeier and PolarTREC Project Manager Janet Warburton in the Northern Bering Sea ************************************************************************ ********* 29 May 2007 8:00 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (6:00 a.m. HDT; 9:00 a.m. PDT; 10:00 a.m. MDT; 11:00 a.m. CDT; 12:00 p.m. EDT). ************************************************************************ ********* Live from IPY with teacher Jo Dodds and researcher Mary Albert at Summit, Greenland ************************************************************************ ********* 22 May 2007 8:00 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (6:00 a.m. HDT; 9:00 a.m. PDT; 10:00 a.m. MDT; 11:00 a.m. CDT; 12:00 p.m. EDT). 1 June 2007 7:30 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (5:30 a.m. HDT; 8:30 a.m. PDT; 9:30 a.m. MDT; 10:30 a.m. CDT; 11:30 a.m. EDT). ************************************************************************ ********* Live from IPY with teacher Rob Wilder and researcher Steven Oberbauer in Barrow, Alaska ************************************************************************ ********* 22 June 2007 11:00 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (9:00 a.m. HDT; 12:00 p.m. PDT; 1:00 p.m. MDT; 2:00 p.m. CDT; 3:00 p.m. EDT). Duration: ~ 45 minutes For these events, we will be using the webinar interface, HorizonWimba, which allows presentation of PowerPoint slides over the Internet during a conference call, and includes other useful functions such as online chat and polling features. To take full advantage of the webinar you will need telephone and Internet access. If you do not have Internet access, however, you can simply join the conference call. The webinars will be archived online after the completion of the live sessions. Instructions on how to view an archived event will be posted on the PolarTREC website following each event. For more information, contact Katie Breen or Janet Warburton or call the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) at 907-474-1600.

Arctic Environmental Atlas

Arctic Environmental Atlas

Interactive map view over the Arctic environment, showing the North Pole and the countries of the Arctic. Browse the map layers, including land cover, topography, population density, and wilderness and make your own map. http://maps.grida.no/arctic

Polar resources sought for teacher web site...

Hello, I am working on a collection of K-12 educational resources related to polar studies for Teachers' Domain, a free K-12 digital library (www.teachersdomain.org) produced by WGBH, Boston's public television station. We are in the process of searching for media-rich resources (especially those containing video material or Flash interactive activities) that address current themes in polar scientific research as well as issues facing communities living in polar regions. If you have any recommendations for particular resources or interesting leads, please contact me directly at: jessica_gidal@wgbh.org (617-300-3944). Thanks, Jessica * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Jessica Gidal Associate Producer WGBH - Educational Productions One Guest Street Boston, MA 02135 tel: 617-300-3944 fax: 617-300-1057 jessica_gidal@wgbh.org

Live from IPY with the BEST Expedition in the Arctic!

Celebrate the International Polar Year and join us for Live from IPY with the BEST Expedition in the Arctic! Interact with PolarTREC teacher Maggie Prevenas and science educator Robyn Staup live from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, Healy, from someplace in the Bering Sea! Ask questions and view photos! Anyone can register for these events and participation is free! For more information about the BEST expedition or to register for live events, visit http://www.polartrec.com Or contact Katie Breen or Janet Warburton or call the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) at 907-474-1600 ************************* Live Event Information ************************* You may register for live events below at: http://www.polartrec.com/applications/ipy_webinar_app.html Next Event: 10 May 2007 Thursday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time [8:30 a.m. HDT, 11:30 a.m. PDT, 12:30 a.m. MDT, 1:30 p.m. CDT, 2:30 p.m. EDT] Duration: ~ 45 minutes For these events, we will be using the webinar interface, HorizonWimba, which allows presentation of PowerPoint slides over the Internet during a conference call, and includes other useful functions such as online chat and polling features. To take full advantage of the webinar you will need telephone and Internet access. If you do not have Internet access, however, you can simply join the conference call. The webinars will be archived online after the completion of the live sessions. Instructions on how to view an archived events will be posted on the PolarTREC website and emailed to all registered participants. For more information, contact Katie Breen or Janet Warburton or calling the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) at 907-474-1600.

IPY Youth Steering Committee...call for involvement!

Salutations from your Canadian Youth Steering Committee (CYSC) for the International Polar Year (IPY).

The CYSC is working to raise interest in Polar issues among Canadian high school students and to incorporate the voices of youth into the legacy of IPY. To accomplish this goal, we aim to build a network of teachers, educators, school districts representatives and northern community members and associations.

We are seeking northern youth to act as High School Ambassadors (HSAs) along with educators to facilitate the involvement of youth and communities in our initiatives:

1. Distribute and promote a "Northern Lesson" series suitable for high school students, and available from the CYSC website.

2. Complete a Canada-wide northern survey dataset, collected by high school students and compiled by the CYSC.

3. Advertise our northern photo and writing contest with submissions compiled at the end of the IPY

All data collected, lessons produced, and photos and short stories submitted through Canadian YSC initiatives will be included in an IPY Time Capsule that will leave a youth legacy for IPY 2007-2008.

The CYSC is working closely with several partners to help distribute information about our activities. Some of our partners include: Youth Science Foundation, Let’s Talk Science, Youth Environmental Network, International Youth Steering Committee, Canadian Geographical Society, and Students on Ice.

Start participating right now and send us your ideas:

1. The Grassroots portfolio would like to receive your ideas about possible grassroots projects youth has in your communities to incorporate in CYSC activities to help us estimate our funding demands. This initiative is in collaboration with the Youth Environmental Network micro-grants for youth project.

2. Our surveys are almost ready and will be available for testing soon. Updates will be posted on our Google Group. HSAs and educators will be added to the group as you join the CYSC)

3. Submit northern photos and pieces of writing for our contests to be compiled at the end of the IPY. There will be prizes and a possibility of publication.

If you are interested in getting your school more involved with CYSC and IPY, please contact us at cysc@ualberta.ca.

HSA posters available online at: http://www.ualberta.ca/~ipy/YSC/HSA.html

Thank you for your collaboration and have a great IPY!

Please find our April 2007 newsletter attached to this message.

CYSC Communications cysc@ualberta.ca

Teacher Workshops associated with IPY

http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/work_con_lec/wkshps07.html The one on Climate Change on July 13- 18 is in Waterton – Glacier International Peace Park

IPY related web seminars

The NSTA lecture series web site. http://institute.nsta.org/web_seminars.asp. Note at the bottom of the page there is also access to Power point presentations from previous seminars, many without an IPY link. Several Arctic/ IPY related lectures including the one tonight. I downloaded the seminar slides and parts of it might have applications that could be useful in school classes at various grade levels. It may give ideas for science activities next year when there is snow around or for science fairs. If you open the presentation you need to go through the first few administrative slides to get to the presentation that begins on slide 11. http://institute.nsta.org/stlouis/IPYice/webseminar.asp

The upcoming IPY related lectures are:

• IPY: The Fragile Ice
  • Web Seminar I: May 3, 2007
  • Web Seminar II: June 5, 2007

• IPY: Polar Climates, How Are they Changing?
  • Web Seminar I: May 15, 2007
  • Web Seminar II: June 12, 2007

• IPY: Impact of Polar Climate Change on Living Systems
  • Web Seminar I: May 17, 2007
  • Web Seminar II: June 14, 2007

Announcing the YahooGroups list on IPY Outreach, Education and Training

Here's the description of the group. You can sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cdn-ipy-outreach-ed/ This is a forum for Canadians interested in participating in outreach and education activities around International Polar Year (2007-2009). The intent is to foster communication, collaboration and coordination, and ultimately to get the message out effectively, and "the best bang for the buck" for our funders. We believe the Canadians we are hoping to reach -- students, teachers, and the broader public -- will be best served if they receive consistent messages and materials, and in a coordinated consistent manner. We invite anyone with intentions to do IPY outreach to join in the discussion, particularly if you are planning to seek funding under the Canadian government's International Polar Year training, communications and outreach program. On this list/site: - tell us about your project, how others might help - share IPY news, success stories - discuss new intitiatives - how can we create a comprehensive program - create links, store files for others to view.