Photo by Ted Scambos
Registration for Antarctica Day is now closed, and the team is working on pairing schools with experts. We will contact the participating schools with more information the week of 19 November.
Teachers and parents! Celebrate Antarctica Day with a phone call from an Antarctic expert to your school! The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration is collaborating with the British Antarctic Survey on an opportunity for elementary, middle and high school students to talk to a polar researcher on weekdays from 3-7 December to celebrate Antarctica Day on December 1.
What is Antarctica Day? On December 1, 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed by twelve nations to set aside all of Antarctica “forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes in the interests of all mankind.” Beginning in 2010, Antarctica Day was established to commemorate the treaty as an event to promote global awareness of this collaborative treaty that set aside 10% of the Earth’s surface and inspire peace and hope for future generations.
Researchers with the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a UK-US program studying Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, along with other Antarctic experts, are volunteering to speak with student groups across the US and UK to offer insights into what it is like to work in one of the harshest and most beautiful places on Earth. They will answer questions on Antarctic research, conditions, living, etc.
If you would like to engage your students in why polar research matters and what it’s like living and working in Antarctica, then please book a slot. We are offering the following event which comprises:
- A phone call with a researcher or Antarctic expert who has experience working in Antarctica (Sorry but Skype and other video formats aren’t possible due to bandwidth.)
- 45-minute slots available daily at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. local time
- Photos of the Antarctic stations plus biographies of the people your pupils have a chance to chat to and ask questions
- Format includes a short 10-minute introduction from your “Antarctic educator” followed by time for questions on life in Antarctica – please get your students involved in advance by studying Antarctica, research that happens there, and what it is like to live and work there.
Any questions? Please contact us through our Contact form: https://thwaitesglacier.org/contact
