News and Events!

• Girls on Ice

  

  Girls on Ice is a unique eleven-day leadership program for teenage girls. The program is accepting applications. For more information about the program and to fill out an application, click here!

• Summer Institute: Polar Connections

  Apply today! IPY STEM Polar Connections Summer Institute

  12-16 July 2010, University of Massachusetts Amherst

  Application Deadline: 1 April 2010

  Polar Connections is a one-week summer institute and academic-year online discussion forums, and features a variety of proven techniques for effective teaching, including inquiry-based teaching, cooperative learning, and methods for formative assessment of student learning. Learn more here...

PolarTREC expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica are underway! Be sure to check out the Virtual Base Camp to follow teachers and researchers!

PolarTREC is an educational research experience, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and managed by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S., in which K-12 teachers participate in polar research, working closely with scientists as a pathway to improving science education.

In celebration of the International Polar Year (2007-2009), a global scientific campaign to advance our understanding of the polar regions, thirty-six U.S. teachers will spend two to six weeks working with a research team in the Arctic or Antarctic, exploring the environments, cultures, history, and science. PolarTREC teachers will learn about cutting-edge scientific research on topics ranging from atmospheric chemistry to seabird ecology and will share their experiences with scientists, educators, communities, and hundreds of students of all ages across the globe.

PolarTREC builds on the past TREC program (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating in the Arctic) to encompass learning experiences in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Visit the TREC website for more information about the 2004-2006 TREC expeditions.

The arctic tern is a small bird with a big travel schedule! The arctic tern migrates over 22,000 miles each year from the Arctic to Antarctica-the longest migration of any bird in the world. The tern lives in almost perpetual daylight, spending the northern summer in the Arctic and the austral summer in the Antarctic. The arctic tern is a wonderful mascot for PolarTREC teachers who will follow it on its long distance journeys to the polar regions! Read more about the arctic tern here.