Last month, the ACRF Education and Outreach Program sponsored two teachers from Barrow, Alaska—one of the ACRF’s host communities—to attend the annual conference of the National Science Teacher’s Association (NSTA), held in St. Louis, Missouri. Imelda Cabana, from Eben Hopson Middle School, and Gary Boen, from Kiita Alternative School, were selected by the North Slope Borough School District to attend the conference. Support to attend the NSTA conference was provided by ACRF as part of its International Polar Year (IPY) outreach efforts.

Teachers Imelda Cabana (center) and Gary Boen (to her right) attended a hands-on workshop on ice cores as part of the Fragile Ice symposium during the annual National Science Teachers Association conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

This year, the NSTA conference featured several symposiums and workshops on climate studies at the poles. Field experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Science Foundation presented information about polar climate, how it is changing, and the potential impacts of those changes. After attending the NSTA conference, Boen and Cabana said they plan to teach about IPY during the next school year.

One of the goals of the Education and Outreach Program is to promote awareness and understanding of climate studies in each of the ACRF host communities. As the host of two research sites at the North Slope of Alaska, this goal is especially important during the IPY, as the Arctic region becomes a focal point of international scientific research.