Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 09/24/2009 - 12:24
Forums
Polar Bear Response to Sea Ice Loss

Hi Jeremy,

For a given expedition how many individuals apply to be a part of the program? What are the formalities to being selected? Do you have a write a research proposal? essay?

Fri, 09/25/2009 - 14:15

Cristina Galvan

Hi,These are great questions! The teacher applications are due soon -
October 5th. Check it out for specific information.
I filled out an application where I answered questions about why I was
interested in the program, what I hoped to gain from the program, and
how I planned to share my learning and experiences with my students and
the general public.
The second part of the process after passing the initial screening
involved a phone interview with the PolarTREC staff. Then I also phone
interviewed with the team of researchers for the project. During the
interview they asked lots of questions, but also gave a really good
overview of the project and allowed me lots of time to ask questions as
well.
I'd love for the PolarTREC staff to weigh in on this topic as well - at
least regarding number of applicants.
Any teacher at all interested in the program should definitely apply!
Good Luck!
- Cristina

Wed, 09/30/2009 - 16:38

Kristin Timm

For the past couple years we have had about 250 teachers apply for 12 spots to participate in polar science research through PolarTREC! We know that teachers learn a lot by going to the Arctic and Antarctica on science expeditions, but unfortunatly we don't have enough resources to send everyone! Ms. Galvan was really lucky to get picked!
There are other ways people go to the Arctic and Antarctica though. Some people on the ship are college students doing research and working with their professors. There are also all the Coast Guard people who run the ship, cook the meals, fly the helicopters, etc. So there are many more ways to go to the polar regions than by becoming a PolarTREC teacher.