Peter West / NSF
A ceremony kicking off the U.S. research juggernaut for the International Polar Year will be held Feb. 26 (Monday) and broadcast live over the web. Hosted by National Academies and the National Science Foundation, the three-hour event will include scientists, politicians and agency managers.
Over the next two years, more than 200 expeditions involving hundreds of scientists will explore the Arctic and Antarctic to investigate permafrost melt, changes in sea ice, ecological shifts in animals and plants, and the impact on people and communities.
The panel of speakers will make speeches, but also give an overview of several expeditions.
- All the icy details
- IPY in Alaska (with links for students)
- IPY projects in Alaska
- The IPY in the United States
- IPY breaking news
- IPY overview
- NSF Arctic sciences
- March Madness of Science
The ceremony will be held in the auditorium of the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C. from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.EST. (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. AST). You can watch the event on-line, and even submit questions, by checking out the live webcast.
Speakers will include Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Anchorage resident Mead Treadwell, chair of the Arctic Research Commission. More information can be found in a NAS release.