Date

U.S. Opening Ceremony for International Polar Year 2007-2008
Monday, 26 February 2007
National Academy of Sciences Auditorium
Washington, DC

For further information and to register to attend, please go to:
http://us-ipy.org/


The opening ceremony to mark the beginning of International Polar Year
in the United States will be held at the National Academy of Sciences
Auditorium, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC on Monday, 26
February 2007, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Hosted by the National Academies and the National Science Foundation,
the ceremony will include remarks from polar scientists about research
set to take place during this historic time, as well as remarks from
government leaders whose agencies play an active role in this important
international effort. This event will provide a unique opportunity to
network and learn how to get involved in International Polar Year
activities.

Speakers include:
- Dr. Ralph Cicerone, National Academy of Sciences;
- Dr. Arden Bement, National Science Foundation;
- Dr. Robin Bell, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory;
- Dr. Robert Bindschadler, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration; and
- Dr. Konrad Steffen, University of Colorado.

The International Polar Year 2007-2008 will be an intense, coordinated
campaign of polar observations, research, and analysis that will be
multidisciplinary in scope and international in participation. Thousands
of scientists, teachers, and students from more than 60 nations will
participate in this major, worldwide scientific effort to analyze the
role of the polar regions in the global system.

To register to attend or view the ceremony via webcast the day of the
event, please go to:
http://www.us-ipy.org

For further information, please contact:
Leah Probst
Polar Research Board of the National Academies
Phone: 202-334-2394
E-mail: lprobst [at] nas.edu

or contact:
Peter West
National Science Foundation
Phone: 703-292-8070
E-mail: pwest [at] nsf.gov