Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Live from the Poles; A Multimedia Educational Experience  (Live from the Poles)

Outline
This two-year collaborative project will bring researchers, science centers, and broadcast media reporters together to convey the story of four polar research expeditions to public and classroom audiences. During the expeditions, daily webcasts will be posted on the Polar Discovery interactive educational website (polardiscovery.whoi.edu) modeled after the highly successful Dive and Discover website of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Audiences at museums, science centers, radio and television stations, and student reporters writing for Scholastic Online will participate in several scheduled real-time phone calls from the field. Currently our museum partners include: Museum of Science Boston, Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, NJ), Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Pittsburgh, PA), Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.), Houston Museum of Natural Science (Houston, TX), The Field (Chicago, IL), Birch Aquarium (San Diego, CA), and the Pacific Science Center (Seattle, WA).

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
This project will highlight the scientific methods, accomplishments, and stories of researchers working on four different polar expeditions to a broad audience using a wide variety of methods.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Our April 2007 field site in at a Russian ice camp and our summer 2007 field site will be aboard a Swedish icebreaker. We are exploring the possibility of adding the Swedish Natural History museum as a partner.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
We will not be conducting any scientific fieldwork, but our 2-person media team will accompany researchers to the North Pole, Gakkel Ridge (Eastern Arctic Ocean), Jakobshavn Isbrae (Greenland), plus a TBD site in Antarctica.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 04/07 – 04/07 (NPEO)      07/07 – 08/07 (Gakkel Ridge)      07/08 – 07/08 (Greenland)
Antarctic: 01/08 – 01/08 (TBD)            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
There are no significant challenges – our media team is only 2 people and we will be sharing logistics with out science partners.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The images and videos collected by our media team will reside on the WHOI Imagesource online database (www.whoi.edu/ims).

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Own national polar operator
National agency
Military support
Commercial operator

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes - Funded by the National Science Foundation.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Yes

This is a new project that will add an education/outreach component to existing scientific projects.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Chris Linder, Physical Oceanography Department and Fritz Heide, Director of Communications) and Museum of Science, Boston (Paul Fontaine) will manage the project.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Our entire project is education and outreach.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
WHOI Imagesource database (www.whoi.edu/ims) and other websites.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Already funded by the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Supplemental grants from private foundations are being sought to add a videographer to our media team and to create a travelling multimedia exhibit of photographs, videos, and a 3D model of the Arctic Ocean’s Gakkel Ridge. We would love for museums outside the USA to host this touring exhibit (should it be funded).

PROPOSER DETAILS

Mr Chris Linder
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
266 Woods Hole Road
MS 21
02543
USA

Tel: +1 508-289-2802
Mobile: no
Fax: +1 508-728-2855
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation