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USNC for the IPYDecember 2007 NewsgramTable of Contents
Calendar of Upcoming IPY EventsFor a more complete listing of all IPY events, visit the IPY Web site http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/calendar. Polar Research: Arctic and Antarctic Perspectives in the International Polar Year International Polar Day Focusing on Ice SheetsOn December 13, 2007, IPY launched its second “International Polar Day”, focusing on ice sheets and traverses. In preparation for this, a special webpage was prepared with information for press and educators, details of current projects and expeditions, contact details for scientists around the world, including in the polar regions, images, background information and useful links and resources. The next International Polar Day will focus on a different topic and will occur in approximately three months. National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions Research.The Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions Research program supports training and research for recent doctoral degree recipients in any aspect of scientific study of the Antarctic and/or the Arctic within the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) program areas. The program also provides travel grants to those eligible for fellowships for the purpose of meeting prospective mentors and colleagues, presenting seminars, discussing mutual research and/or education interests, evaluating facilities and professional development opportunities, and initiating collaborative relationships. Application deadline: 11 January 2008. For more information, contact NSF grants.gov support: grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov. Explore Earth’s Poles at a Museum Near You With “Polar-Palooza”.The human face of the exploration of Earth’s polar regions is touring science centers and museums across the United States. The National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are sponsoring the Polar-Palooza “Stories from a Changing Planet” tour to mark IPY 2007-2008. For more information, and to see a list of cities where you can see Polar-Palooza in 2008, visit: http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza. IPY Data and Information Service Web Site Available.The International Polar Year Data and Information Service (IPYDIS) is a global partnership of data centers, archives, and networks working to ensure proper stewardship of IPY and related data. The National Snow and Ice Data Center acts as a coordination office for IPYDIS to ensure the long-term preservation of broad, interdisciplinary, and non-expert access to IPY data. Another coordination office focused on near-real time and operational data streams is based at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Other national and international coordination offices are also being established. The IPYDIS website, which includes a discussion forum, help desk, and other resources, is available at: http://ipydis.org. Call for Papers: IPY Session at the European Geophysical Union General AssemblyPapers are invited for "The International Polar Year 2007-2008" (session CR1) to be convened at the European Geophysical Union General Assembly on 13-18 April 2008, in Vienna, Austria. This session solicits first results from ongoing research and plans for future activities. Topics regarding the cryosphere are particularly encouraged though results from interdisciplinary activities are also more than welcome. The submission deadline for abstracts is 14 January 2008. For further information and to submit an abstract, visit: http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2008. Conference: “Polar Gateways of Understanding to Solar System Exploration for IPY-IHY”This conference will be held on 23-29 January 2008, at the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC) in Barrow, Alaska. It will connect electronically to arctic sites in Canada, Greenland, and Fennoscandia. The core of the meeting program will be a series of science highlight presentations from the connected arctic sites and following in progression from polar and IPY-IGY history to the present changing polar environments to future exploration and eventual habitation of analogous environments in the solar system. For further information, visit: http://www.ipy-id63.org. Jeopardy Game Show Question: “What is the International Polar Year?”A recent contestant on Jeopardy responded to a “Daily Double” clue about ice shelves, permafrost, and “IPY”, correctly posing the question, “What is the International Polar Year”? See the full story at: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/11514726.html. On-line Course on IPY to be Offered by Yukon College and University of the ArcticYukon College and University of the Arctic announces an international offering of the on-line course, International Polar Year IV: Context and Promise. This second-year-level, multidisciplinary course presents an overview of the historical and scientific context of the fourth International Polar Year 2007-2008 and offers an examination of its development, planning, and execution. The course runs from 1 February to 30 April 2008 (registration opens on 3 December 2007, and late registration will be accepted only until 5 February 2008). Tuition for the course is $150 CDN. Yukon College expects to offer the course again in September 2008 and February 2009. For more information, contact: Amanda Graham, Yukon College (agraham@yukoncollege.yk.ca). Funding Available for Early Career Scientists to Attend “Polar Research: Arctic and Antarctic Perspectives in the International Polar Year”.The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) are jointly organizing the SCAR/IASC IPY Open Science Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 8-11 July 2008. Natural and social scientists are invited to present papers under a series of session headings that address the themes of IPY. IASC will provide travel grants for early career scientists (less than five years after completion of PhD) who present papers with an Arctic component. Applications consisting of the abstract submitted to the conference, a short but informative CV, and an estimate of the travel costs should be sent by Tuesday, 15 January 2008, to: IASC Secretariat First Major IPY Product ReleasedOn November 28, 2007, a team of researchers from NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, and the British Antarctic Survey unveiled a newly completed map of Antarctica today that is expected to revolutionize research of the continent's frozen landscape. The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica is a realistic, nearly cloudless satellite view of the continent at a resolution 10 times greater than ever before with images captured by the NASA-built Landsat 7 satellite. Researchers can use the detailed mosaic to better plan scientific expeditions. The mosaic's higher resolution gives researchers a clearer view over most of the continent to help interpret changes in land elevation in hard-to-access areas. “The mosaic represents an important U.S.-U.K. collaboration and is a major contribution to the International Polar Year,” said Andrew Fleming of British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, England. “Over 60,000 scientists are involved in the global International Polar Year initiative to understand our world. I have no doubt that polar researchers will find this mosaic, one of the first outcomes of that initiative, invaluable for planning science campaigns.” View the mosaic on-line at http://lima.usgs.gov. Children’s Book Released, The Last Little Polar BearThe Last Little Polar Bear, which addresses many of IPY’s themes, offers a clear message of science and adventure for young readers
that will attract them to the larger issues of polar climate change and the trends in human and ecological dynamics. For more information, visit: Reports from the IPY International Programme OfficeThe following IPY reports recently released by David Carlson, Director of the IPY International Programme Office, are available on-line:
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