Improving Polar Data Access and Communication

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Improving Interdisciplinary Data Access and Communication: Through professional development and the creation of data tools, the PIs will reduce the logistical costs of bringing polar science to students and educators. The PIs propose to provide opportunities to build the capacity of polar scientists for communicating and engaging with diverse audiences. They will also create scalable, in-person and virtual opportunities for educators and students to engage with polar scientists and their research through data visualizations, data activities, educator workshops, webinars, and student research symposia. The desired product is a set of data rich instructional materials and customized professional development trainings that virtually expand access and opportunity to engage more educators and their classrooms in polar science. Over three years, the PIs will: 1) Conduct three communication and diversity workshops for a total of 60 polar scientists and provide opportunities for scientists to practice and apply the information presented; 2) Develop a social media/web program dedicated to promoting polar research and education and outreach programs; 3) Develop activities that engage students with real polar data and a set of adaptable data visualization tools that allow students to interact with these data; 5) Develop and implement 10 online educational webinars and 3 in-person half-day educator workshops; 6) Conduct 4 weeklong educator professional development workshops; 7) Run 4 symposia nationally for approximately 1200 students to present their polar research investigations to polar scientists; 8) Foster the use of real polar data in undergraduate teaching through the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative (CCURI) to increase students' data skills and knowledge of polar science; and 9) Create an asynchronous e-course that highlights polar science research and uses data in teaching for science educators.This effort will improve the communication capacity of the polar science community. It will help bring real-world datasets, models, and simulations into the classroom and make scientific data from the poles and information about polar research widely available and useful to various audiences. The project will engage under-represented and underserved students in polar scientific research and many of the materials created and connections between scientists and educators are likely to be sustainable. This effort supports NSF/PLR goals to diversify the research community and improve access to information on polar research.