Award Abstract # 1044417
Collaborative Research: The Polaris Project II: Amplifying the Impact

NSF Org: OPP
Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
Recipient: WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: July 20, 2011
Latest Amendment Date: June 2, 2015
Award Number: 1044417
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Peter West
OPP
 Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: August 1, 2011
End Date: July 31, 2017 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $176,161.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $176,161.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2011 = $35,910.00
FY 2012 = $34,358.00

FY 2013 = $34,819.00

FY 2014 = $35,292.00

FY 2015 = $35,782.00
History of Investigator:
  • Andrew Bunn (Principal Investigator)
    andy.bunn@wwu.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Western Washington University
516 HIGH ST
BELLINGHAM
WA  US  98225-5996
(360)650-2884
Sponsor Congressional District: 02
Primary Place of Performance: Western Washington University
516 HIGH ST
BELLINGHAM
WA  US  98225-5996
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): U3ZFA57417D4
Parent UEI: U3ZFA57417D4
NSF Program(s): ARCTIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
Primary Program Source: 0100XXXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1079
Program Element Code(s): 520800
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.078

ABSTRACT

The Polaris Project II seeks to amplify the impact of Polaris I (now in its third and final year) through its extension, expansion, and enhancement. The three overarching objectives of Polaris II are to 1) train the next generation of arctic researchers, 2) advance scientific understanding of the Arctic, and 3) expand public awareness of the feedbacks between the Arctic and the global climate system. These objectives will be accomplished through a multi-faceted effort that includes a summer field course/research experience in the Siberian Arctic, a series of on-campus arctic-focused courses, and a wide range of outreach activities. While undergraduate students remain the primary focus of Polaris II, participation in the annual field course will be expanded to include a K-12 teacher, graduate student, postdoctoral researcher, and visiting faculty member each year. Outreach activities will target K-12 students and teachers, undergraduate students and faculty, and a diverse public audience.

The unifying scientific theme of the Polaris Project is the transport and transformation of carbon and nutrients as they move with water from terrestrial uplands to the Arctic Ocean. Research conducted by the interdisciplinary Polaris Project team of faculty and students will make fundamental contributions to the scientific understanding of this topic, a central issue in arctic system science. While continued scientific advances are essential for arctic system understanding, prediction, and protection, tackling the climate change challenge is also a matter of education. Polaris II offers a unique experience in undergraduate research that will inspire and prepare a new generation of arctic researchers. Further, it will convey the importance of the Arctic to the public and to policy-makers, providing them with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

The Polaris Project will achieve a broad and lasting impact by linking interdisciplinary scientific research to innovative undergraduate education and imaginative public outreach. In addition to providing a transformative experience for the participants in the annual Siberian field course, Polaris II will educate large numbers of undergraduate students who complete the Polaris-affiliated on-campus courses. The project will also engage K-12 students and teachers through direct and sustained interactions with Polaris PIs and broad dissemination of education and outreach materials. Finally, Polaris II will inform a diverse public audience about the state of the Arctic, ecosystems research, and global climate change. Approaches to project outreach include expansion of the Polaris website and associated blog (www.thepolarisproject.org) and the development of an online seminar series for undergraduates, K-12 teachers, and public participants. The production and wide distribution of multimedia videos addressing key arctic science themes will further expand the reach of the project, as will the inclusion of a writer in the 2011 field course with the objective of publishing a book about the Arctic, climate change, and the Polaris Project experience. As a resource for the scientific and education communities, Polaris data will be freely available through the project website and the Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service (CADIS)

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Berner, L.T., P. Beck, A.G. Bunn, and S.J. Goetz "Plant growth and climate variability along the forest-tundra ecotone in northeastern Siberia." Global Change Biology , 2013
Webb E, Heard K, Natali S, Bunn A G, Alexander H, Berner L, Kholodov A, Loranty M, Schade J, Spektor V, Zimov N "Variability in Above and Belowground Carbon Stocks in a Siberian Larch Watershed" Biogeosciences , 2017 10.5194/bg-2017-88

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

The primary objectives of this project are to advance scientific understanding of Arctic ecosystems, to engage undergraduate students in authentic research, and to communicate the importance of Arctic science to K-12 students and the general public.  The core activity is an annual summer field course and research expedition to the Northeast Science Station in eastern Siberia.  Since the Polaris Project’s inception in summer 2008, the annual expeditions have included 75 different undergraduate students.  Each student developed a research project within the broad bounds of the Polaris Project’s interest in climate change impacts and feedbacks in the Arctic.  In addition to the first-time participants, 18 undergraduate participants returned for a 2nd expedition and four undergraduates returned as graduate students.  To evaluate the learning outcomes for these students, we conducted extensive and detailed assessment under the direction of our Professional Evaluator, Jo Beld. The results show that participation in the summer field expedition resulted in strong, positive outcomes for these students.  For example, the results from the Arctic Ecosystems Knowledge and Attitudes survey (developed by Beld specifically for Polaris I and II) show clear improvements in both content-based knowledge and understanding of the scientific process. Both quantitative and qualitative evidence show striking gains in their knowledge of Arctic ecosystems and their ability to develop and carry out research projects.  In addition, the Polaris Project has actively recruited participants from historically underrepresented groups and expedition participants have been ethnically, racially, and culturally diverse.  For example, the 2014 expedition included 2 African-Americans, 3 Hispanics, 1 Native American, and 2 Arctic Natives.  Overall more than half of all undergraduate participants were female and most expeditions included students from arctic indigenous groups.

The Polaris Project has increasingly focused on preparing undergraduate participants for graduate school.  More than 50 Polaris alumni are pursuing or have completed graduate studies including 27 current PhD students, 22 of whom are conducting research with an arctic focus.  Many of these students are from groups historically underrepresented in Arctic science, including 14 women, 3 of Hispanic origin, and two African Americans.  Polaris alumni have been remarkably successful in securing national graduate fellowships.  To date, seven students have been awarded graduate fellowships: five by NSF, one by NASA, and one by the EPA.  All but two were in support of arctic research.  The Polaris Project has also supported six postdoctoral researchers, all of whom now hold faculty positions and have subsequently obtained independent grants to continue to conduct research in the Arctic. Public outreach has involved all Polaris participants.  To date, the Polaris Project has been featured in more than 40 newspaper articles and radio and television interviews including stories with the New York Times, National Public Radio, National Geographic, the BBC and many local news outlets.  In addition, Polaris participants have given more than 70 public presentations including more than 40 by students.  Polaris participants also interact with public audiences through the Polaris website (www.thepolarisproject.org), where students and faculty post frequent field blogs, and where we provide photos, videos, maps, and data. 

We have also made strong contributions to scientific understanding of an understudied area of the Arctic.  Prior to our work, little was known about how ecosystems in the Russian Arctic responded to climate change.  Polaris Project research has added deeper knowledge on a range of questions, from drivers of carbon cycling to the impacts of fire and the activities of small mammals, resulting in 29 journal articles, including nine first-authored by students and another seven with students as co-authors.  Polaris research has also led to 124 abstracts for international conferences, including ~70 with students as lead authors and 20 with students as co-authors.  Finally, we have generated and distributed several key datasets, including carbon, nutrient and environmental data from eight new deep permafrost boreholes, from more than 30 terrestrial sites, and 40 aquatic sites.

 


Last Modified: 09/28/2017
Modified by: Andrew G Bunn

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