PolarHusky.com / Education {Experience Authentic Learning Online}

PolarHusky.com / Education {Experience Authentic Learning Online} GoNorth!, an adventure learning program for K-12 students, announces "Cool Science," an online information source about scientific activities at the poles, in conjunction with its Chukotka 2007 Expedition, a 16-week, 900-mile dog sled journey in northeast Russia from February through May 2007. In an effort to get students excited about polar research, GoNorth! invites scientists to participate by posting information about their own research on the "Cool Science" page of the GoNorth! website, visited by 20 million users annually. "Cool Science" will be launched in February 2007 and will highlight ongoing scientific research in the polar regions. Scientists interested in participating should submit a photo of themselves, a short bio (100-200 words), image(s) that relate to the research project, and a brief description of the research (300-500 words written in first-person and in language intended for elementary students). These materials should be sent to GoNorth! Program Director Mille Porsild (mporsild@polarhusky.com). Developed at the University of Minnesota, GoNorth! is a five-year adventure learning program based in social and natural science curricula that reaches three million students in over 2,900 schools on six continents. From 2006 to 2010, the team of educators, scientists, and explorers is dog sledding to five locations in the Arctic. A 300-page Curriculum and Activity Guide is developed each year reflecting the expedition's current arctic locale, its indigenous culture, and a relevant environmental question. Inquiry- driven and aligned to national education standards, the curriculum is free to all educators. The online learning environment delivers comprehensive resources about the region of travel, collaborative opportunities, live field updates, and field research findings synchronized in real time to the curriculum. The 2006 expedition took place in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Future expeditions will travel to Fennoscandia, Greenland, and Nunavut, Canada.