PolarTREC Researcher Application

Thank you for your interest in hosting an educator on your field research project. Your commitment to linking polar research with education is an important contribution to both the research and education communities and the goals of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Due to Covid-19, the deployment of all the 2020 PolarTREC educators to both the Arctic and Antarctica has been postponed until spring 2021. We will continue working with all the teams over the next year and in preparation for 2021.

This also means that we will not have an application period in the summer/fall of 2021 since we already have all of our educators chosen for expeditions during the 2021-2022 field seasons.

We are always open to hearing from researchers wanting to host an educator. Please contact us at info [at] polartrec.com to discuss the opportunities.

Stay connected! Subscribe to the Polar Education List to get all the program updates including when we will be accepting applications from teachers and researchers.

If you are interested in hosting an educator in the future field seasons, we ask that you contact PolarTREC Program Managers first at info [at] polartrec.com to discuss your research project and the timing of our selection process. After this, we will ask you to submit an application. You can find more information about the program online through the following PolarTREC program documentation:

We look forward to hearing from you!

1. Contact Information

Title

Last Name

First Name

Department

Organization

Street

City

State

Country

Zip

Primary Email

Re-enter Primary Email

Other Email

Work Phone

Cell Phone

Other Phone

Fax

Planned Absences (i.e. upcoming field expeditions)

Please write a short biography for yourself.

Please share any personal or research-related websites and social media tags for your research project or institution.

2. Demographic Information

Demographic Information The following question is for the purpose of gathering information on applicants to the PolarTREC program to provide the National Science Foundation with a measure of PolarTREC’s impacts. Submission of this information is voluntary and is not a requirement for acceptance to the program.

Race/Ethnicity Definitions

Label

Ethnicity Definition:

Hispanic or Latino: A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

Race Definitions:

American Indian or Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North or South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Black or African American: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North America.

Ethnicity

Gender

Race

American Indian or Native Alaskan

Asian

Black or African American

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

White

Other…

3. Motivation for Participation

a) Why do you wish to host a PolarTREC educator on your project? Did you include participation in PolarTREC in your NSF Broader Impacts? If so, what did you say about PolarTREC?

b) Briefly describe your involvement and/or interest in K-12 education and science outreach.

c) Briefly describe your general expectations of the PolarTREC educator.

d) Briefly describe ideas or activities you have in mind for sustaining collaboration with the educator before, during, and after the field experience.

4. Project Personnel

a) Who is the lead Principal Investigator of this research project?

b) Who are the co-Principal Investigators (if applicable)?

c) What is your role in the research project?

Other role description:

d) How many people will be participating in your field research team during this expedition? Please choose an approximate number under each category below:

Principal Investigators or Co-Principal Investigators

Graduate Students

Undergraduate Students

Other Research Professionals

Other Research Professionals (please describe):

e) Who will serve as the primary contact for the project and mentor for the educator while in the field? If someone other than yourself, please include name, contact information, and role in the research team.

Note: This person must be in the field at least part of the time with the educator. This person will be working directly with the educator both before, during, and post field experience and must be fully involved in the selection of the educator. This person might be the PI but could also be a graduate student or co-PI.

f) Who else should we include in correspondence in regards to you/your team participating in PolarTREC? Please provide their role and contact information.

5. Project Information

a) Project Title (funded and short working title):

b) Using general terms, please provide a short description of the project.

c) What aspects of your research do you think are most accessible to K-12 teachers, or students, or the public? What is the take home message, or key components you want the educator to focus on?

d) What role will the PolarTREC educator play on your research team and in the field?

e) Describe how your research encourages a greater understanding of the polar regions or Earth’s systems through research in the polar regions.

f) Does your research project specifically focus on any of the named polar research emphasis areas? Check all that apply.

Atmospheric Systems

Cryospheric Systems (Glaciers, Sea Ice, Ice Sheets, etc.)

Human and Social Systems

Marine Systems

Terrestrial Systems

Ecology & Biotic Systems

Physics or Space Sciences

Engineering and Technology

g) Please list five (5) multiple choice questions and answers that pertain to your research. These should be key concepts or information that a educator should learn by participating in your expedition.

h) Is there any additional information you would like to share about the research project (i.e. proposal summary, PowerPoint presentations, press-releases, articles, weblinks, etc.)?

6. Project Funding

a) Please list your funding agency or agencies and award number for this project.

b) What stage of the project would the educator be participating in? Have you visited this research site before?

c) What is the funding period for this research project:

Start Date

End Date

d) Do you have any funding for an educator included in this research project grant? If yes, please explain.

e) Is there a specific educator that you are interested in working with exclusively? If yes, please list their full name, institution, and email address.

Note: Naming a specific educator is not required. Researchers and educators interested in working exclusively with one another will be asked to complete a set of supplementary questions and will both be subject to the full PolarTREC Selection Process. Supplementary questions do not have to be submitted at the same time as the application, but must arrive before the application deadline.

f) Did you propose the inclusion of a PolarTREC educator in this research project grant?

If yes, what amount of support can be budgeted or contributed for this impact/outreach component (i.e. travel funds, covering food costs in the field, etc)? Having funding for an educators included in your grant is not required. However, if researchers have extra funding or support for an educator, we are sometimes able to support more than our 12 allotted research projects and educators per year.

7. Approximate Field Dates

a) What are the expected dates for your fieldwork during the 2020 (usually Arctic) and/or 2020/2021 (usually Antarctic) field seasons?

b) Approximately how many weeks during the field season would you like to host an educator and what are the dates, if known?

8. Field Site Logistics

a) Who provides logistical support for your work? Include the name and contact information for the logistics manager for your project in the text boxes provided, if known.

Polar Field Services

Antarctica Support Contract (ASC)

Other Logistical Support

b) Where is your field project located? Be as specific as possible. You may list multiple sites if applicable.

Arctic

Antarctica

c) How do you get to your field site(s)? How do you get around once at the research site?

d) Briefly describe the living and working conditions at your field site.

e) What are the particular physical or emotional challenges, risks, and/or dangers involved with your field project?

f) What forms of communication are possible from your field site(s)?

g) Are there any unusual physical requirements or special skills needed or preferred for personnel on your field project? Will they require a medical exam or vaccines?

h) Although we expect educatorss to learn a lot of science content while in the field, are there any specific subject areas the educator should be familiar with to better understand your research and/or a particular grade level or audience type you would like to work with?

i) What permits, paperwork, or visas will be required for an educator to participate in the field experience?

j) What special training will be required for an educator to participate in the field experience?

9. Other

a) Do you have any questions or concerns regarding participation in the PolarTREC program?

10. Acknowledgment of Program Requirements

I have read the PolarTREC program requirements for researchers. I understand that if my project is selected and a teacher is placed with the researcher project that I will be responsible for these requirements to the best of my ability.

Full Name

Date