Events
United States Joint Science Education Tour to Summit Station
Greenland
June 18, 2007
Under the auspices of the Greenland, Denmark, United States Joint Committee, the Nordic/Baltic Environment, Science & Technology Hub based out of Embassy Copenhagen, sponsored a unique Arctic science trip for Danish, Greenlandic, and U.S. high school science students and teachers to Greenland's inland ice sheet. Hosted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and in cooperation with the New York Air National Guard 109th Air Wing (NYANG 109th) and Embassy Copenhagen's Defense Attaché Office, the students and teachers, as well as members of the media and the Danish Polar Center, spent five days learning first hand about Greenlandic based research and the logistics involved in supporting Arctic research.
The group arrived in the western town of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on June 18th where they toured the research infrastructure which supports international research projects. The following day the group flew on NYANG 109th's Hercules C-130s to Greenland Environmental Observatory at Summit (Summit Station). Summit Station is a year-round arctic sampling station funded by NSF, which sits on 3200 meters of ice at the peak of the Greenland ice sheet. The group conducted experiments, releasing weather balloons and collecting clean snow samples for further laboratory testing, interacted with the scientists and developed inquiry-based educational activities. After their overnight stay at Summit Camp, the group returned to Kangerlussuaq where they spent time observing biological and geological phenomena and taking scientific measurements on the river bed. It was a fantastic learning experience for students and teachers alike, which will be used in outreach work at their schools and institutions in connection with International Polar Year activities.