The last International Polar Week – "What happens at the Poles affects us all" - in Brazil was a great success!!
In Rio Claro, SP, we had the pleasure of having Rotary Club Rio Claro Sul celebrating with us.
Professors Alexandre Perinotto and Luiz Simões, both geologists at the São Paulo State University at Rio Claro, gave a very interesting lecture on the Arctic, where Brazil's got a research station, to the members present on their 06 October meeting. It was such a great opportunity to learn about how the polar regions are linked to the rest of the world.
More information (in Portuguese) about the lecture can be found at: http://www.rioclarosul.com.br/portalrcrcs/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.22
At Colégio Puríssimo Coração de Maria, also in Rio Claro, the students celebrated in so many different ways. Many projects were developed (poem and song writing, painting, seminars, among others) through which everybody had the chance to learn a bit more about the polar regions.
Some of the students also took part in the radio programme broadcasted by CKLB Radio on October 8th. It was a very vivid discussion about the development of the Arctic and they were eager to learn from the panelists.
Below are some songs the students wrote and posted on youtube. They either wrote new lyrics for an existing song, or created everything anew.
In the South of Brazil, several activities occurred in Rio Grande city, both to entertain and to inform secondary and graduation students about Polar Environments. Highlighting the theme of the week – “What Happens at the Poles Affects Us All” – and alternating between informative and scientific content, the graduate students had an opportunity to participate both as observers and/or as speakers in a cycle of lectures that occurred at the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG). Other talks presented by post?graduate students and experts in the Polar Regions complemented those activities.
All the events were supported by APECS/Brazil and the education and outreach activities were considered a huge success! Other events are still taking place until the end of the month in other Brazilian cities as part of the efforts of the APECS/Brasil council members. The lectures that occurred in Rio Grande were developed by Rodrigo Kerr (APECS/Brasil Council Member and Phd Student in Oceanography), Camila B. Marin (Master Student in Oceanography) and Dr. Jorge Arigony (FURG) and supported by the Brazilian High Latitude Oceanography Group (GOAL), Laboratory of Oceans and Climate Studies – Institute of Oceanography, at FURG, and Laboratory of Cryosphere Monitoring – Institute of Human Sciences and Information, also at FURG.
In Araraquara, SP, the event had to be postponed to October 16th, but that did not prevent it from being another success. I gave a lecture at Interact Club Araraquara on the poles, and the youth present at the event also had the chance to talk to the Portuguese scientist Dr. José Xavier, who is presently in Antarctica. We used Skype phone to talk to Dr. Xavier. It was such a great pleasure to have Interact Club celebrating the International Polar Week with us!
I would like to thank everybody who took part with us, in Brazil and all over the world. We're all looking forward to the next International Polar Week!!!
Miriam Hebling Almeida
APECS/Brazil – Education and Outreach Coordinator