Program Plan

The principle objective of IPY-ROAM is to provide participants with the necessary background and opportunities to critically examine the following question: "How is Antarctica responding to global change and why is change in Antarctica important to the rest of the globe?"  

IPY-ROAM consists of 3 programmatic components:

1. On-Line Course Work:
2. Field trip to Washington DC:
3. Field trip to Antarctica:

1. On-Line Course Work:

 During Fall 2007, IPY-ROAM participants (students and teachers) will complete a course entitled "Studies in Antarctic System Science" offered on-line via UT Telecampus (who provided course development funding for the course). This course will be available as a 3 credit course that should be transferable to most institutions. The course will use a system science approach and a combination of course materials and lectures from IPY-ROAM faculty and invited speakers to provide an overview of the Polar Regions and their importance to the rest of the globe. Topics that will be covered include:

• An introduction to System Science and components of the Antarctic System.
• The Antarctic physical environment (Atmosphere, Water, Ice, Landforms).
• The biology of Antarctica (marine mammals, avifauna, terrestrial biota).
• Human Interactions and the Antarctic System (early exploration, policy, research, tourism).
• Other similar environments: the Arctic, Subantarctic and high altitude environments.

After participation in this course, students will have a greater:

• Knowledge of the natural history of the Antarctic Region.
• Understanding of the interactions between the major components of the Antarctic System.
• Appreciation of the need for multidisciplinary research to further understanding of the Antarctic System.
• Recognition of the relative importance of the Antarctic System to the Earth System.

2. Field trip to Washington DC:

A three-day field trip to Washington DC will also be undertaken by IPY-ROAM participants during the Fall of 2007. This field trip will introduce participants to experts in polar science, policy, education and outreach.

ROAMERS at NSF in DC - November 2007

3. Field trip to Antarctica:

The above course and field trip to Washington DC will provide IPY-ROAM participants with the necessary background needed to design an independent research project that will be undertaken whilst in Antarctica. This project will be available as a 3 credit course that should be transferable to most institutions. The field trip to Antarctica will take place during winter break between mid December 2007 and early January 2008. Participants will travel from Tierra del Fuego to the Antarctic Peninsula region on a tourist ship that will provide participants with the opportunity of visiting multiple sites daily to collect data for their independent studies projects.

While in Antarctica, all students will work on their independent studies projects within focal groups of 5-6 people to address pre-selected topic areas under the mentorship of one or more of the faculty advisors. These topic areas are

• Marine biology (e.g. distribution of marine life);
• Terrestrial biology (e.g. plant and invertebrate ecology);
• Geosciences (e.g. glacier retreat, seismology (glacial earthquakes));
• Tourism, policy & human impacts (e.g. perception, impacts,
  marketing);
• Outreach (e.g. development of curriculum products for classroom use, documentary film-making).
  

It is expected that participants will learn the challenging, yet valuable nature of interdisciplinary studies as these 5 topic groups work to integrate their projects under the course theme:

"How is Antarctica responding to global change and why is change in Antarctica important to the rest of the globe?"

It is likely that independent studies projects and integration of these within or between topic groups will result in several excellent conference poster or oral presentations, and/or a manuscripts suitable for publishing in peer-reviewed journals. The IPY-ROAM faculty is dedicated to helping participants achieve such goals and maximize the success of the program.