Corvallis, Oregon (KTVZ) – Oregon State University engages educators, artists, and writers in polar science efforts to lead national programs that increase the impact and visibility of ongoing scientific research in the Arctic and Antarctic. Received $4 million.

The program, Polar STEAM, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics and is funded by the National Science Foundation through a five-year collaborative agreement.

Julie Risien, Principal Scientist at Polar STEAM, said that through the program, middle and high school educators, artists, and writers will collaborate and collaborate with each other through study station residencies and virtual and face-to-face professional development experiences. , the opportunity to collaborate with polar scientists. program.

“What we are offering with this program is true integration across the arts, humanities, education and science,” said Risien. “We are committed to ensuring that participants are prepared for their on-the-job experience, to be able to create something of value from that experience, to provide mentorship upon their return, and the opportunity to share their work broadly. We want to make sure that we give

Polar STEAM is the reimagining and extension of two previous NSF programs, the Polar Educators and Antarctic Artists and Writers programs. The Polar Educators program provided an opportunity for educators to engage in Antarctic and Arctic research and share their experiences. The Antarctic Artists and Writers Program gave artists and writers access to U.S. Antarctic stations and surrounding areas and encouraged engagement with the polar scientific community.

Since the late 1950s, NSF has supported a wide range of artists and writers in Antarctica. Past participants in the Antarctic Artists and Writers Program include photographers, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, poets, novelists, children’s writers and musicians.

Polar STEAM also engages faculty from community colleges and minority service institutions, adding a virtual track to enable participation by educators who cannot travel to remote polar regions, enabling Polar for non-formal and K-12 science education. Expand the scope of the Educators program.

OSU is well positioned to lead this program. The university has strong polar science programs, including the Oldest Center for Ice Exploration (COLDEX), funded by NSF. Rich history of hosting over 80 artist residencies at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. His STEM learning expertise both formal and informal. An award-winning teacher development program known for working with underserved school districts and communities, according to project leaders.

Additionally, OSU is building a $70 million, 49,000 square foot arts complex to integrate the arts, humanities, sciences, and education. OSU plans to use the complex to host a major national exhibition showcasing polar art, history and science in 2025 as part of the Polar STEAM program.

Peter Begemann, Director of Arts and Education at Patricia Valian Lisser, said: “This is part of the strategy we are using in this complex and this kind of exhibition is the core type of programming we want to present in this new facility.”

One of the goals of the reimagined Polar STEAM program is to provide support and community when participants return from their field experience, providing opportunities to reflect, share and learn from each other.

“Five years from now, we want to create a purposeful relationship between educators, scientists, artists and writers,” said Begemann. “And we want to keep those relationships going beyond the participants’ on-the-ground experience.”

The project officially started on September 1st. The organizers are recruiting staff and hope to begin recruiting participants in early 2023 for the Arctic field experience starting in summer 2023.

Polar STEAM is a partnership of OSU’s STEM research center, arts and education complex, pre-university programs, the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and a liberal arts college.

Other co-Principal Investigators are Kim Barnard of the University of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and Susan Rowe, Director of Pre-College Programs at OSU. The program is externally evaluated by Carleton College’s Science Education Resource Center. This project also complements his OSU-led COLDEX and other his OSU-led research programs in the Arctic and Antarctic.

A network of experts representing diverse expertise in inclusiveness efforts, polar research, education, arts-science partnerships, and the broad impact of science writing will serve as advisors to the project.