Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

The PolarDomes - A New Way to Explore the Poles and Beyond  (PolarDomes)

Outline
Project Summary (Current NSF Submission – Funding pending) Project Summary The PolarDomes - A New Way to Explore the Poles and Beyond project is an informal public education program that will develop meaningful and engaging polar science content and deliver that content via groundbreaking mobile and remote access communication technology for an immersive and interactive experience in digital planetariums. This synergy of approaches will result in a complete “production concept to public contact” endeavor, achieving educational programs in seven polar research fields ready for public dissemination within proposed three-year project cycle—some before the end of year one. PolarDome will achieve three explicit outcomes. The public (both children and adults) will gain a significantly greater understanding of the poles and polar research and their environmental and social import to the world. The potential actual number and socio-economic diversity of people exposed to polar science will be far greater than ever before—including traditionally underserved populations and international outreach. And, third, the content and methods of delivery developed via PolarDomes will provide up-to-date assets for polar education for years to come. The PolarDome project will explicitly address IPY initiatives by a) raising public awareness of leading scientific discovery at the poles; b) improving public understanding of the impact of the polar regions in the global process; c) making connections to international research; d) developing a body of public outreach content for future use; and e) inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers. Intellectual Merit: PolarDomes is an engaging and replicable approach to public education that utilizes existing tools, assets, and expertise; cost-effective production; and innovative delivery methods. Recent advances in digital and portable planetarium technology and its widespread use in public settings makes for an exceptional platform for public outreach. Similarly, high-resolution video, data access, and remote communication technology have achieved new educational opportunities. The PolarDomes project will combine those elements thanks to an innovative collaboration between the Minnesota Planetarium Society (MNPS), the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Woods Hole (Co-PI William Lang) will utilize its advanced imaging technology to capture high-quality visuals from polar regions, resulting in full dome (4K x 4K) assets. AMNH and MPS will blend WHOI’s material with other field footage and human-interest components to develop content for immersive planetarium experiences. Productions will also combine real-time data resources (from NASA, NOAA, and other sources) within the Uniview software environment to make presentations interactive and consistently up to date. Around this content, the project will wrap effective science story architecture for an engaging and effective public presentation. AMNH (Co-PI Rosamund Kinzler) will concentrate on live “Domecasts,” presentations based at AMNH and simulcast in other institutions—even classrooms—where audiences will participate (such as Q & A) real time. Parallel to AMNH presentations, the MNPS (Co-PI Joel Halvorson) will develop short-form dome programs, combining visual assets with real-time data, for multiple-use planetarium and classroom presentations. Further, MNPS will pilot a newly-developed portable dome technology, the “Exploradome,” physically delivering its short-form programs to school districts, public sites, and other locations in conjunction with IPY events (such as Polar-Palooza), thereby vastly extending the PolarDome reach to new participants. AMNH and MNPS bring invaluable experience and expertise in developing public education programming and dissemination techniques through which the PolarDome project will channel. Lastly, the effectiveness of the PolarDome project to meet IPY informal education goals will be thoroughly tested with audiences through an independent formative (pilot-production) and summative (post-production) evaluation. Reaching across the spectrum of IPY, the PolarDome project will develop seven live domecasts and corresponding short-form presentations, spanning a diverse scope of polar research. The seven focal areas will include: 1) Space - In situ astronomy at the South Pole ; 2) Sun-Earth – Heliophysics (IHY/IPY) 3) Cyrosphere - Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets 4) Atmosphere/Oceans - modeling large scale global processes 5) Biosphere - Polar Long Term Ecological Research; 6) People - Impact on Arctic communities; and 7) Polar Exploration - Hydrothermal Processes on the Gakkel Ridge. Special attention will be dedicated to the recent observations indicating long-term climate change. The productions have enlisted leading scientists in each field for guidance in making research connections, ensuring close association with the leading edges of international research. Broader Impacts: In addition to the explicit outcomes of seven live and short-form polar productions, and the expansion of outreach, the PolarDome project will have important broader impacts for the advancement of informal science education. The project will archive and make available all presentations in the public domain for ongoing use. Similarly, raw assets made in production will be available to other developers with new IPY ideas, enabling continued cost-effective programming. Further, as a delivery method, the PolarDome format lays the groundwork for new productions in other science fields. And, as a whole, the high quality and ease of replication of PolarDome will prove it a desirable model for linking future scientific discovery to the public.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The PolarDome project will explicitly address IPY initiatives by a) raising public awareness of leading scientific discovery at the poles; b) improving public understanding of the impact of the polar regions in the global process; c) making connections to international research; d) developing a body of public outreach content for future use; and e) inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
1) Space - In situ astronomy at the South Pole ; 2) Sun-Earth – Heliophysics (IHY/IPY) 3) Cyrosphere - Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets 4) Atmosphere/Oceans - modeling large scale global processes 5) Biosphere - Polar Long Term Ecological Research; 6) People - Impact on Arctic communities; and 7) Polar Exploration - Hydrothermal Processes on the Gakkel Ridge.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 10/07 – 11/09            
Antarctic: 10/07 – 11/09            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Travel to the South Pole, Greenland, Arctic Ocean, Alaska and Canada. Perhaps depending on the site, time, and budget.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
No

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

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Pending NSF funding

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?


NSF funded proposal

How will the project be organised and managed?

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

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?

How is it proposed to fund the project?

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Joel Halvorson
Minnesota Planetarium and Space Discovery Center
5031 11th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
55417
USA

Tel: 612.823.0958
Mobile: no
Fax: no
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation