Media Advisory 07-030 Explore Earth's Poles at a Museum Near You With "Polar-Palooza"
Jointly NSF- and NASA-funded informal education project targets science centers nationwide
October 15, 2007
The human face of the exploration of Earth's polar regions is coming to science centers and museums across the United States. The National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are sponsoring the Polar-Palooza "Stories from a Changing Planet" tour beginning Oct. 19 in San Diego. The tour will stop in cities across the country in 2007 and 2008. NSF and NASA are funding Polar-Palooza and other education and outreach activities as part of the International Polar Year (IPY), which began last March and ends in March 2009. IPY focuses science and education on Earth's remote polar regions. The Polar-Palooza national tour features tales of science and adventure from polar glaciologists, geologists, climate scientists, oceanographers, biologists and residents of the Arctic. Each tour stop includes multimedia shows with high-definition video, school programs, teacher workshops and briefings for media and business leaders. Upcoming tour dates include: - Oct. 19-21: San Diego area - Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Birch Aquarium, San Diego Museum of Natural History and other locations
- Oct. 26-28: San Francisco area - Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland, and the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley
- Oct. 22-24: Albuquerque - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
- Nov. 8-10: Tampa, Fla. - Museum of Science and Industry
- Nov. 11-13: Atlanta - Fernbank Science Center
- Nov. 15-17: Baton Rouge - Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science
Polar-Palooza is produced by Passport to Knowledge, Morristown, N.J., as an integral part of IPY outreach efforts. The "Stories from a Changing Planet" tour will continue in 2008, with events planned in Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Philadelphia, New York, Houston and several other cities. For more information about Polar-Palooza and links to the 2007 tour schedule, see: http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/ -NSF-
Program Contacts
Peter West, NSF (703) 292-7761 pwest@nsf.gov
Related Websites
The Polar-Palooza Web site: http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/
The U.S. government's International Polar Year (IPY) portal: http://ww.ipy.gov
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $6.06 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to over 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
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