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Media Advisory 07-030

Explore Earth's Poles at a Museum Near You With "Polar-Palooza"

Jointly NSF- and NASA-funded informal education project targets science centers nationwide

Polar-Palooza logo with words Polar Palooza and Planet over illustration of the Earth

The Polar-Palooza logo


October 15, 2007

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The human face of the exploration of Earth's polar regions is coming to science centers and museums across the United States. The National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are sponsoring the Polar-Palooza "Stories from a Changing Planet" tour beginning Oct. 19 in San Diego. The tour will stop in cities across the country in 2007 and 2008.

NSF and NASA are funding Polar-Palooza and other education and outreach activities as part of the International Polar Year (IPY), which began last March and ends in March 2009. IPY focuses science and education on Earth's remote polar regions.

The Polar-Palooza national tour features tales of science and adventure from polar glaciologists, geologists, climate scientists, oceanographers, biologists and residents of the Arctic. Each tour stop includes multimedia shows with high-definition video, school programs, teacher workshops and briefings for media and business leaders.

Upcoming tour dates include:

  • Oct. 19-21: San Diego area - Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Birch Aquarium, San Diego Museum of Natural History and other locations
  • Oct. 26-28: San Francisco area - Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland, and the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley
  • Oct. 22-24: Albuquerque - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
  • Nov. 8-10: Tampa, Fla. - Museum of Science and Industry
  • Nov. 11-13: Atlanta - Fernbank Science Center
  • Nov. 15-17: Baton Rouge - Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science

Polar-Palooza is produced by Passport to Knowledge, Morristown, N.J., as an integral part of IPY outreach efforts. The "Stories from a Changing Planet" tour will continue in 2008, with events planned in Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Philadelphia, New York, Houston and several other cities. For more information about Polar-Palooza and links to the 2007 tour schedule, see: http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/

-NSF-

Program Contacts
Peter West, NSF, (703) 292-7761, email: pwest@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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