This coming November 2007, a team funded by the National Science Foundation will be stationed at Cape Royds on Ross Island, Antarctica, conducting penguin science. What's unique about this project, however, is that is has a large education outreach component, aimed at school students, connecting them directly from the classroom to the science being conducted in the field.

Education outreach coordinator Jean Pennycook explains:

For the months of November to February our team will be stationed at Cape Royds, on Ross Island, Antarctica, in the Adelie penguin breeding colony. During that time I will record the lives of five selected pairs, uploading pictures every day on the internet so students may keep a field journal following along while these extraordinary birds brood, raise and fledge their chicks.

Students will also have the opportunity to respond to inquiry-based questions about penguin behavior in the field, design an experiment that I will carry out for them in the colony, create and receive a postcard from Antarctica along with many other activities about penguins and how they are coping with global climate change.

During the field season, researchers will be available to answer student questions submitted online.

Cape Royds Penguin Cam

The website, PenguinScience.com, contains a trove of pictures, videos and information about Adelie Penguins, making it a fantastic resource for schools and penguin enthusiasts alike.