News Archive 2003
Climate Change Kiosk Opening Ceremony (Posted 10/29/03)
People view the new ARM Climate Change Kiosk at the NSA site.
The ARM Education and Outreach team had a very successful trip to the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) in October. The main purpose of the trip was to dedicate the new interactive kiosk titled, “Climate Change: Science and Traditional Knowledge,” now on permanent display at the Iñupiat Heritage Center (IHC) in Barrow, Alaska. The kiosk is a unique opportunity for people to learn about the effects of climate change from an Iñupiat and a scientific perspective. The final product evolved through partnerships with many in the community in Barrow, including elders, whalers, scientists, and educators.
A well-attended dedication ceremony was held at the IHC on October 9, 2003 to acknowledge the completion and installation of the kiosk. Besides the many who attended from the Barrow community, those who could make the ceremony from the ARM Program included Wanda Ferrell, Doug Sisterson, Bernie Zak, Nancy Burleigh, Jane McKinney, Michael Ebinger, Tina Sommer, Margo Bachman, and Carrie Talus. We were fortunate to have an invocation in Iñupiaq by elder Noah Itta, followed by speeches from Reanne Tupaaq Crist, the deputy director of the IHC, Dr. Michael Ebinger, director of ARM Education, Dr. Wanda Ferrell, ARM program director, Marja Springer, kiosk program director, Jana Harcharek, North Slope educator, and Jeff Berger of Yaza Design, the kiosk producer. Following the speeches, the unveiling and a demonstration of the kiosk was presented. The ceremony ended with a performance by traditional Nuvukmuit Eskimo dancers.
ARM Education Team Visits NSA (Posted 10/29/03)
Bernie Zak, NSA ARM site manager, gives a tour of the NSA site.
In October, the ARM Education team met with several teachers and school administrators to reestablish a working relationship and to determine how to best enhance the existing ARM education outreach programs for the North Slope. Some of the current issues that the North Slope Borough School District is facing were discussed during these conversations. According to the No Child Left Behind Act, schools must refocus their teaching goals to raise student achievement in reading, writing, and math. Schools currently need to meet annual yearly progress standards as well as begin preparing for national science tests that will be administered in Alaska for the first time in 2006. This knowledge helps us to understand the current needs of the NSA school district and to design effective lesson plans and other educational and outreach activities.
Monthly on a Saturday afternoon, Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC) hosts a “Schoolyard Talk,” for local and visiting scientists to share their research with the community through a public presentation. The ARM Education team discovered that this is a favorite local event when a good crowd of scientists, teachers, and community members showed up to hear what we had to say. On Saturday, October 11, Tina Sommer gave a slide presentation on ARM Education and Outreach, and Michael Ebinger demonstrated the kiosk software. Bernie Zak, the NSA ARM site manager, followed the Schoolyard Talk with a tour of the ARM site.
The ARM Education team was also invited to share in some of the seasonal activities that were taking place in Barrow, such as the successful catch of the first whale of the fall whale-hunting season. Mike and Tina bravely jumped in the 30-degree Arctic Ocean to proudly join the Barrow Polar Bear Club. Tina and Margo were lucky enough to see polar bears on a tour to Point Barrow, and they all tried the North Slope delicacy of ‘muktuk,’ or fresh whale skin and blubber.
ARM Education Team Attends 2003 ARM Science Team Meeting (4/8/03)
Members of the ARM Education team attended the 2003 ARM Science Team Meeting. Fairley Barnes, Carrie Talus, Mike Ebinger, and Jeff Berger (of Yaza Design) participated in this year's meeting. They presented a poster entitled "Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a Tool for Science Education and Public Outreach" (PowerPoint file) and the latest version of the ARM Education climate change museum kiosk. Those who visited the poster and kiosk were able to go through the kiosk software at a laptop to go through the kiosk software and gave their suggestions on how to make it better. The kiosk received enthusiastic responses from everyone. ARM Education and Yaza Design plan on getting the kiosk completed and installed in the Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska, by October 2003. Thank you to everyone who gave input on this software!
