Contents:

1. IPY events in St Petersburg, July 2008
2. Land and Life Day
3. APECS Report
4. Videos on IPY.org
5. IPY events and activities


Report no. 14, June 2008
From: IPY International Programme Office
To: IPY Project Coordinators
cc: IPY Community Google Groups


1. IPY events in St Petersburg, July 2008

Several IPY meetings and workshops are occurring before and during the SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference in July.
Below we list those that we know of, with location information to the best of our current knowledge. Much of the energy and networking central to IPY is stimulated in events like these - please do consider attending as appropriate.

Friday 4th:
IPY Joint Committee Meeting (closed)

Saturday 5th:
IPY Joint Committee Meeting (closed)

Sunday 6th:
09.30 - 16.00 IPY Education and Outreach - all welcome
An opportunity to develop, discuss, and share outreach and communication plans for the next 6 - 12 months.
Room A6, AARI Library. Please organise your own lunch.
Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.

Monday 7th:
09.30 -1700 APECS/ UKPN Career Development Workshop
Pribaltiyskaya Hotel business room
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.

Monday 7th:
Morning; IPY Data Management Committee
Room A6, AARI Libary
Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.

Monday 7th:
17:00 to 19:00 IPY Open Consultative Forum - all welcome
An opportunity to discuss the activities and legacy of IPY with the Joint Committee
Room R6 (Pushkin Hall) Pribaltiyskaya Hotel

Monday 7th:
19.00 SCAR/IASC conference welcome reception, for all official participants, Pribaltiyskaya Hotel.

Wednesday 9th:
19.00 APECS Meeting and Reception. To Be Confirmed.
Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details


2. Land and Life

On June 18th, 2008, the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-8 will celebrate its fifth Science Day, this time focussing on Land and Life.
Many thanks to the many IPY researchers who have contributed material, biographies, and resources, and to those who will participate in live events.

The new Land and Life pages can be found via a button on the homepage of www.ipy.org, or directly here


These pages include:

- classroom activity and summary flyers available in 17 languages
- personal profiles of a wide range of scientists studying Land and Life in both the Arctic and Antarctic
- a virtual balloon launch for students to get involved
- 3 live events (in different timezones) connecting to polar researchers (great for students and teacher professional development)
- Polar Land and Life resources endorsed by the scientific community
- accessible scientific content about permafrost, ecology, hydrology,and terrestrial biodiversity

Please encourage your networks and institutions to use this as an opportunity to highlight your research and involvement in IPY.


3. APECS Report

The APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) Council met online on 21 May to share all the exciting things they have been working on since the first council meeting in September and to discuss the documents that will establish the working platform for the organization. It is expected that the documents will be approved and set in place by 14 June. Special thanks to Liz Murphy of LMGM for facilitating this meeting.

A complete set of minutes from the meeting, including upcoming events, can be found at http://arcticportal.org/apecs/council/21-may-meeting

You can also see a list of the numerous upcoming career development workshops and meetings at: http://arcticportal.org/apecs/career-development
The APECS Education and Outreach Committee is providing an "Activity of the Month" to provide ideas on how to bring polar research into the classroom and to the general public. For more information, visit: http://arcticportal.org/apecs/outreach3

APECS is looking for institutions/organizations that would be interested in helping to assure the coordination of these activities and facilitating the career development of early career polar researchers by hosting the Directorate. If you are interested, please contact the current Director, Jenny Baeseman ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

For more information, visit http://arcticportal.org/apecs or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


4. Videos on IPY.org

Check out the new multimedia pages on IPY.org! You can access them from the homepage button, browser pull-down bar, or directly here


These videos and podcasts are an accessible and easy way to profile the wide range of research, and researchers, in IPY.

To have your videos or podcasts featured, please email Rhian ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) including You Tube link or podcast streaming location.
Many thanks to all who have contributed so far.

5. IPY events and activities

We in the International Programme Office continue to find ourselves amazed, every week, by IPY events and activities around the world:

Last week, thousands of visitors entered the Pavilhão do Conhecimento in Lisbon for games, theatre, experiments and fun in celebration of IPY - see the story and pictures on ipy.org here

A few weeks ago we showed everything from classroom activities to outdoor posters to television broadcasts in China during the 3rd International Polar Day - again see on ipy.org here

Next week, with partners from Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Malaysia, we will present IPY at the UNEP Tunza International Children's Conference on the Environment in Stavanger.

We also know that the the royal heirs of the Scandinavian thrones plan a trip to Svalbard explicitly on the occasion of IPY. We know that Canada has established a journalism award for reporting about the north also specifically with connection to IPY. We plan for IPY events at the European Science Forum in Barcelona, at the next conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science in Salt Lake City, and at the European City of Sciences festival in Paris. We also know how much we don't know, about all the other outreach and celebration events and activities underway with an IPY theme or label. Thanks to all of you who share this information with us, and more thanks to all of you who organize and support these activities on behalf of IPY.