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Media Advisory 07-006
U.S. Launches International Polar Year on Feb. 26
National Science Foundation and National Academies to co-host kick-off in Washington, D.C.; event will be webcast live
February 22, 2007
The United States will mark the start of International Polar Year (IPY) with an event hosted by the National Academies and the National Science Foundation on Feb. 26, 2007, in Washington, D.C. During the ceremony, a panel of polar scientists will discuss the latest research and present an overview of expeditions to take place during IPY. There will also be remarks from government leaders whose agencies play an active role in this international effort. International Polar Year is a global research effort to better understand the polar regions and their climatic effect on the Earth. More than 200 scientific expeditions will take place over the next two years to study changes to permafrost, the melting of polar ice sheets, and marine life in the cold and dark. The research completed during IPY will provide a baseline for understanding future environmental change. | When: | Monday, Feb. 26, 2007, 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., eastern time | | Where: | Auditorium, National Academy of Sciences building, 2100 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Those who cannot attend may watch a live video webcast of the event and submit questions using an e-mail form. To view the webcast, go to http://www.nsf.gov/news/longurl.cfm?id=20 . | | Who: | Ralph Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences U.S. Government Leadership Panel: - Arden L. Bement,Jr., Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator, State of Alaska
- Brian Baird, U.S. Congressman, State of Washington – 3rd District
- P. Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
- James L. Connaughton, Chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
- Paula J. Dobriansky, Under Secretary, Democracy and Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce
- David L. Evans, Under Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution
- Mark D. Myers, Director, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- James Herrington, Director of International Relations, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Panel of Scientists: - Robin E. Bell, Doherty Senior Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
- Robert Bindschadler, Chief Scientist, Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Gretchen E. Hofmann, Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Deanna Kingston, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Oregon State University
- Konrad Steffen, Director, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado - Boulder
- Mead Treadwell, Chair, US Arctic Research Commission
| Reporters must register in advance with the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information, tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu. Public registration for this free event and more information about IPY is available online at http://www.us-ipy.org/.
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Maureen O'Leary, National Academy of Sciences (202) 334-2138 moleary@nas.edu
Peter West, National Science Foundation (703) 292-7761 pwest@nsf.gov
Dana Topousis, National Science Foundation (703) 292-7750 dtopousi@nsf.gov
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2009, its budget is $9.5 billion, which includes $3.0 billion provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to over 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 44,400 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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