SEEDS: Newsletter > Volume 5, Issue 2 - March 2007

Science and Policy: What is IPY?

On February 26, Jorge Ramos attended the inauguration of the International Polar Year (IPY) at the National Academies of Science. The IPY is a large scientific program focused on the Polar regions from March 2007 to March 2009. It promises to advance our understanding of how the Earth’s Polar regions impact global climate systems; it will be an intense campaign of polar research and analysis that will be multidisciplinary and international in participation. IPY involves over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from more than 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological, and social research. One of the proposed goals is to fire the enthusiasm of the young population from every part of the world for future careers in science and engineering.

The IPY website contains many multimedia and interactive applications that everyone can access for free. There are many ways everyone can get involved and be part of the IPY, from scientists and science educators to students interested in polar research. Please visit their webapges for more information: www.ipy.org and www.us-ipy.org.