In the spirit of celebrating and commemorating the March 1, 2007 launch of the International Polar Year (IPY) the entire community of the United States Palmer Station, located on Anvers Island, Western Antarctic Peninsula, is pleased to present to this photograph, “Palmer Station Dives into the IPY”. Everyone on station on 10 March, 2007 is featured in the photograph.

Leading marine researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are among the first U.S. teams diving into the icy Antarctic waters during the International Polar Year. The team, working out of Palmer Station, is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs. It includes veteran Antarctic researchers and UAB biologists Charles Amsler, Ph.D., and James McClintock Ph.D., and University of South Florida chemist Bill Baker, Ph.D.

The expedition continues a quest to understand predator-prey dynamics in the unique Antarctic marine communities. The team has discovered several compounds with potential uses against cancer and other diseases.

Students of all ages can join the team and ask questions via theAntarctica UAB website.