OTTAWA, April 27, 2012 /CNW/ - QUOTE FROM Peter Harrison, Chair of the IPY 2012 Montreal Conference:
"I am pleased to be a part of today's announcement of the establishment of a formal international professional network of polar educators teaching in, about and for the polar regions. I regard this as a very positive action emerging from the conference, another contribution to the legacy of IPY and the future of polar research. This is an extraordinary example of cooperation and partnership building to keep the momentum generated during IPY "
Evidence from this meeting shows that education and outreach of the 2007-08 IPY touched 24 million people; we intend to grow that number. We intend to move science education forward by connecting the cultures and enthusiasm of polar education across the globe. As a legacy of IPY and as a direct Action of this conference in Montreal, we announce the establishment of Polar Educators International - a global professional network for those that educate in, for, and about the Polar Regions.
This Conference, and a previous one in Oslo 2010 made deliberate efforts to engage polar science educators. Surprisingly, the average science conference does not include science education. The participants from those two events now want to serve as a catalyst for future and wider improvements in polar and science education.
Membership is open to everyone in the polar science and science education communities. The founding members come from polar and non-polar nations such as Belgium, UK, India, Italy, United States, Canada, Norway, and Portugal. The new group draws together museums, schools, science centers, formal and informal education, expeditions, NGOs, companies, governmental organizations, and non-profits. Working across national, disciplinary, and age group boundaries, we want to improve science education for the next generation of policy makers, entrepreneurs, explorers, citizen scientists, journalists and educators, and the public.
Antony Jinman, distinguished educator and leader of an upcoming British-Canadian educational expedition in the Arctic, and a founding member of the Polar Educators group, believes that connecting and sharing experiences and ideas will magnify their impact. "Our expedition will enable students to interact and discuss cultural identity, the Arctic environment, and issues of climate change and sustainability. By sharing our experiences throughout this new network, we will enable more teachers and inspire more students throughout the world"
The new group of more than 200 leading educators will develop innovative teaching resources and practices designed to bring the importance of the polar regions closer to home. We intend to excite students about learning and about their planet, and thereby change the terms of debate, and the framework of education, to rekindle student and public engagement with global environmental changes.
For a short video of the Polar Educators in Montreal, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4qfp6uT27I
To become involved, email Sarah Crowley: [email protected]
Antony Jinman 00447875153844 [email protected]
For more information or to arrange an interview with any of the team members of the Arctic Expedition described above, please contact Oli Milroy on 00447765 308884 [email protected] or visit www.etelive.org/arcticjubilee
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