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What is a Belgian Teacher doing in Antarctica? Well, Koen Meilaen and his students won the PolarQuest contest by creating the AHA project to increase the awareness of teachers, parents and students alike towards sustainable development.

Koen is now spending 1 month at Princess Elisabeth in the framework of that project. We had the opportunity to interview him after spending 4 weeks at the station. His interview is up on the station's website, where you can read it as an introduction. You can also read more about Koen's education project on EducaPoles.

It details the activities Koen carries out in Antarctica in the framework of his educational project. Koen explains his interactions with scientists working at Princess Elisabeth and with his students back in Belgium over Skype. He also shares his impressions about being in Antarctica for the first time.

The AHA Project is truly a nice experiment in terms of project based education & outreach, something the International Polar Foundation is really interested in and does its best to support.

On December 14^th, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Monegasque car manufacturer Venturi co-organized the conference “Antarctica 1911-2011” to commemorate the centenary of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen’s successful attempt to reach the South Pole. The event was held at the Oceanography Museum of Monaco under the high patronage of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and in presence of SEM Michel Rocard, French Ambassador for the Poles.

Prior to the conference, IPF Executive Director Thierry Touchais joined with representatives and experts from various organizations to discuss clean mobility solutions in Antarctica. In partnership with the IPF, Venturi is currently developing a vehicle for Antarctic in-field operations. The “Venturi Antarctica” will take the “zero emission” operations of the Princess Elisabeth Station one step further by integrating into the station’s technologically advanced smart grid and allowing the scientists to head into the field “emissions free”. A first test campaign of the vehicle is planned for the 2013-2014 season.

Opening up to the public in the afternoon, the conference started with the projection of the documentary “Antarctique 2011 – Objectif Pôle Sud”. On the occasion of this centenary, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco addressed the descendants of polar explorers Scott and Amundsen. A link was then established with Alain Hubert, President of the International Polar Foundation and of the Belgian Polar Secretariat, currently managing the operations for the season at the Princess Elisabeth Station. Rounding up the conference, Venturi President Gildo Pallanca Pastor and Florence Lambert, responsible for the battery and fuel cell program at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), presented the “Venturi Antarctica” program.

On December 8^th, TSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco honoured the official launch of the Polaris Climate Change Observatory (PCCO), a project of the International Polar Foundation, with their presence and support. The project was presented at the Clock Tower in Cape Town (South Africa) by Michel de Wouters, Secretary General of IPF South Africa; Nighat Amin, Vice-President of the IPF; and Prof. Uwe Brückner, creator of the scenography for the PCCO project.

During His speech (see below), HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco stressed the importance of the PCCO as a project that offers a proactive first step in answering the question of how to get the public at large and decision makers to share our current concerns for the planet’s climate and environment while they are confronted with other urgencies. The Prince also highlighted the importance of the private sector as an essential partner, and mentioned the synergies with His own foundation.

The Prince concluded His speech on an optimistic note with a meaningful quote from the late Dr. Wangari Maathai: “You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them”

The PCCO project is strongly supported by the City of Cape Town and the developers of the V&A Waterfront. Scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2014, the Polaris Climate Change Observatory will be a benchmark in design and technology in a city recently chosen to be the “World Design Capital” for 2014.

Belgium has a vibrant young group of Polar Scientists. On Thursday December 1st, around 30 young polar experts held a workshop in on Antarctic sciences and celebrated the International Antarctica Day.

The day started with a keynote lecture from Hendrik Schoukens on the Antarctic Treaty Regime, and was followed by PhD students and young postdocs presenting their latest research, ranging from microbial ecology to geophysics, glaciology, climatology, marine ecology, health science and astrophysics.

The young researchers were strongly congratulated by three Antarctic veterans, who joined the meeting and were amazed by the energy shown by the youngsters.

In the afternoon, a group discussion was organised to re-create the Belgian branch of Antarctic Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). The current focus is to organise an event in the framework of the Antarctic Treaty Meeting, which will take place in Brussels in 2013.

This initiative was supported by the Belgian Science Policy (Belspo).

HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium led a trade mission to China from the 19^th to the 29^th of October, celebrating the 40^th anniversary of China-Belgium diplomatic relationships. As part of this visit, the Prince travelled to Shanghai to attend an official ceremony organized by the Consul Général of Belgium in Shanghai, Mr Bruno Georges, and the Director of the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), Dr Huigen Yang. The Prince was accompanied by the President of the International Polar Foundation (IPF), Alain Hubert, and the ceremony took place onboard the Chinese icebreaker, the XueLong (“Snow Dragon”), just hours before its departure for Antarctica.

During his speech, Alain Hubert presented Princess Elisabeth Station, as well as the work of IPF, and expressed the IPF’s and the Belgian Polar Secretariat's joy at collaborating with China in polar research, logistics, and outreach. For his part, Dr Yang outlined the upcoming work and mission of the 28^th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 28) sailing onboard the XueLong, and presented the new Chinese icebreaker currently at the design stage. Dr. Yang further lauded the good cooperation between China and Belgium on polar research and communication through initiatives such as the China-Belgium workshop on Biodiversity and Climate Change held in Shanghai in October 2010, and the reporting work done by Jean de Pomereu of the IPF, during his participation in CHINARE 25.

Following these introductions, Alain Hubert, also Chair of the Strategic Council of the Belgian Polar Secretariat, exchanged signatures with Chinese representatives on two memorandums of understanding:

• The first memorandum was for cooperation between the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA), represented by Director General Dr. Qu Tanzhou, and the IPF on Education & Outreach projects focusing on climate and the polar sciences.
• The second memorandum was for cooperation between the Polar Research Institute of China, represented by Dr. Yang, and the Belgian Polar Secretariat on Antarctic logistics, operations, and research.
• A third memorandum was signed by Dr Bogdan Van Doninck, Director General of the Belgian Science Policy Office, for cooperation between BELSPO and the Chinese State Oceanic Administration (SOA) in the fields of marine and polar science, as well as related technological development.

After the signing, Alain Hubert presented a copy of the book ‘China’s Frozen Quest’, a compilation of Jean de Pomereu's CHINARE 25 reportage to HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium, and Mr. Liu Cigui, Administrator of SOA.  This compilation was specially published for the occasion thanks to sponsorship from Solvay. The delegations then visited the bridge, scientific laboratories and helicopters of the XueLong, before retiring to an informal lunch on the quay, also kindly sponsored by Solvay.

Following the Prince’s departure, Dr Yang hosted a dinner for Alain Hubert, and the two met again the following day to further discuss and strengthen future collaborations.

On November 22^nd, the International Polar Foundation (IPF) had the pleasure to welcome a delegation of representatives from various Arctic Indigenous Peoples' organizations. Following the Arctic Futures Symposium of October 2011, in which Indigenous peoples’ issues were, one of the four main themes addressed along with international cooperation, science and economy, the representatives wanted to gain a better understanding of the IPF, its mission and its projects.

The IPF has already crossed paths with the Sámi Education Institute in Oslo, during the IPY 2010 Oslo Conference and at the University of the Arctic (Rovaniemi), of which the IPF became an Associate Member in June 2011. A common interest in science and the sustainable development of the North is at the heart of a working relationship between the IPF and the Arctic Indigenous Peoples, and both will be present in Montréal in April 2012 for the IPY Knowledge to Action symposium.

The IPF education team gave all the representatives a guided tour of the IPF’s “Class Zero Emission” workshop by the education team. Doing various activities such as the 3D puzzles of the Arctic and Antarctic, and taking the sustainability quiz, the representatives were impressed with the interactive approach of the workshop.

The Indigenous representatives included:

• Liisa Holmberg, Principal at the Sámi Education Institute in Inari (Finland)
• Mika Aromäki, Coordinator at the Sámi Education Institute in Inari (Finland)
• Galina Nazarova, Director at the Socio-Humanitarian College in Naryan-Mar (Russia)
• Galina Platova, Member of Council at the Association of Nenets People "Yasavey" in Naryan-Mar (Russia)
• Ekaterina Sherstneva, NÉDA ORDYM Project. Sámi Education Institute in Inari (Finland)
• Rodion Sulyandziga, First Vice-President at the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples Of the North (RAIPON) in Moscow (Russia)
• Erik Gant, Secretary General at the Indigenous Peoples Secretariat in Copenhagen (Denmark)

The InBev-Baillet Latour Fund, in partnership with the International Polar Foundation announces the opening of the 2011 Call for Proposals for the InBev-Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship, a grant of €150,000 providing an exceptional opportunity for a young scientist to carry out research in Antarctica.

Background

In a time where climate change represents an important challenge for society, research in the Polar Regions is crucial in our continuous quest to understanding how our planet and its climate system functions.

The InBev-Baillet Latour Fund and the International Polar Foundation therefore share the ambition of supporting scientific research in the Polar Regions through the promotion of science and scientific capacity building, encouraging young researchers in their involvement in Polar Sciences.

2011 Call for Proposals

This Fellowship is specifically targeted at scientific field research in the Antarctic region, with the focus on the laureates carrying out their research project at the Princess Elisabeth Station, Belgium's "zero emission" station in East-Antarctica. The 2011 Fellowship will make it possible for the laureate to carry out two field campaigns in the Antarctic summer seasons of Nov. 2012 – Feb. 2013 and Nov. 2013 – Feb. 2014.

This year's Call for Proposals is restricted to the following disciplines:

• glaciology
• microbiology (excluding marine microbiology)
• geology

Applications are sought from doctoral or post-doctoral students from any international institution, under the age of 35, with applications closing on March 1st, 2012 and the laureate being announced in June 2012.

Download the poster for the 2011 Call for Proposals.

Previous laureates

• Dr. Elie Verleyen from the Laboratory of Protistology and Marine Ecology at the University of Ghent for his research project "Delaqua" on microbiological communities.
• Dr. Steven Goderis from the Department of Geology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel for the "Micrometa" program which aims to gain better insight into the origin and the evolution of planets and our solar system through the study of micrometeorites.

Detailed information about the InBev-Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship is available on the section of our website dedicated to the Fellowship.

From October 12th to 14th, the International Polar Foundation (IPF) had the pleasure to co-organize the second Arctic Futures Symposium with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. Building on the success of the first Arctic Futures Symposium in October 2010, this year's symposium was an even greater success.

Over the course of two and a half days, several high-profile speakers shared their views on a developing Arctic. After the inaugural address of IPF President Alain Hubert, Danish Senior Arctic Official Nauja Bianco, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki, and Executive Director of the European Environment Agency Prof. Jacqueline McGlade delivered speeches and presentations in their various areas of expertise before HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco addressed the symposium on the importance of polar research and developing marine protected areas as well as the need to look for sustainable solutions in developing the Arctic on a case-by-case basis.

Following the Prince's speech, representatives of the various Arctic Council nations spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon delivering speeches and debating. Speakers included Ambassador Gustav Lind of Sweden (the country which currently holds the chairmanship of the Arctic Council) and Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, who discussed the various challenges and opportunities presented to Iceland in the context of widespread climate change in the Arctic.

At the end of the first day, executive secretaries of a number of Arctic Council working groups and a representative from the shipping industry discussed the latest developments in maritime transport, monitoring and managing Arctic biodiversity, and Arctic pollution in a roundtable discussion led by Prof. Lawson Brigham of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

The second day of the symposium focused on scientific research and natural resource exploitation in the Arctic, with IPCC Vice Chairman Jean-Pascal van Ypersele from the Université Catholique de Louvain as a featured moderator of one of the sessions and Prof. Jean-Claude Gascard from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris giving a presentation on the new Arctic Climate Change Economy and Soceity (ACCESS) project funded under the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Other topics addressed included the melting Greenland Ice Sheet, predicting how the Arctic will respond to warming, changes in sea ice and permafrost, the various satellite and buoy observation networks used to look at the Arctic, and balancing natural resource exploitation with ecosystem management and other stakeholder interests in the Arctic.

The third and final day saw the enthusiastic testimony of representatives from various Arctic indigenous peoples, who advocated better communication and reinforced collaboration between politicians and industry representatives with the indigenous peoples of the the Arctic. The conference ended with a speech by SE Michel Rocard, French Ambassador to the Arctic and former French Prime Minister on the need for international cooperation in the Arctic.

This year's symposium was a huge success on many levels, as it offered a forum for Arctic stakeholders from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines who often don't meet one another a chance to discuss the pressing issues facing the Arctic while offering participants, which included students, academics, politicians and representatives of industry, an excellent venue to exchange ideas and network.

The IPF would like to extend its thanks to all who made this year's symposium a success.

More information on Arctic Futures 2011 can be found under the 'Projects' link on this site.

* This page includes material which is copyright 2011 Reuters. All rights reserved.

From September 4^th to 8^th, the International Polar Foundation participated in the 6^th Science Centre World Congress held in Cape Town (South Africa). At the event, which is organized every three years, IPF's Mieke Sterken and Michel de Wouters manned the IPF booth to outline the actions of the IPF and present the new Polaris Climate Change Observatory project. The event was an ideal opportunity for networking, as many South African and African science centre representatives were present.

The conference covered a broad array of subjects, among which defining the current role of science centres in society, different means to engage the unengaged, the use of social media, or the evolution of international partnerships & joint projects.

At the booth, the scale model of the future PCCO received the lion's share of attention and attracted the many passers-by that found it impressive. Educapoles, however, received its share of attention as well, as many educators visited the booth for additional information and vowed to use the IPF website and educational activities in the future.

From September 4^th to 8^th, the International Polar Foundation participated in the 6^th Science Centre World Congress held in Cape Town (South Africa). At the event, which is organized every three years, IPF's Mieke Sterken and Michel de Wouters manned the IPF booth to outline the actions of the IPF and present the new Polaris Climate Change Observatory project. The event was an ideal opportunity for networking, as many South African and African science centre representatives were present.

The conference covered a broad array of subjects, among which defining the current role of science centres in society, different means to engage the unengaged, the use of social media, or the evolution of international partnerships & joint projects.

At the booth, the scale model of the future PCCO received the lion's share of attention and attracted the many passers-by that found it impressive. Educapoles, however, received its share of attention as well, as many educators visited the booth for additional information and vowed to use the IPF website and educational activities in the future.

From September 20^th to October 18^th, the Palais Provincial de Namur (Belgium) will be welcoming a special session on Belgian research in Antarctica in the framework of the "Collège Belgique", an initiative of the Royal Academy for Science and the Arts of Belgium to give citizens access to scientific knowledge. Over the course of the event, 12 researchers from various fields (glaciology, biology, climatology, oceanology, astrophysics and geology) will share their knowledge of Antarctica with the public.

The session - "L'Antarctique dans tous ses états: session spéciale du Collège Belgique" - will feature 6 conferences during which the public will gain better knowledge of the various studies conducted in Antarctica. All conferences will be held in French from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm on six different dates:

Tuesday - September 20^th, 2011

• "L’océanologie en Antarctique - le rôle de l’océan Austral dans le cycle du carbone" (Oceanology in Antarctica - the Role of the Southern Ocean in the Carbon Cycle) by Christiane Lancelot (Université libre de Bruxelles) and Frank Dehairs (Vrije Universiteit Brussel).

Tuesday - October 4^th, 2011

• "La glaciologie en Antarctique - la banquise et la calotte glaciaire, des acteurs climatiques multiples" (Glaciology in Antarctica – the Sea Ice and the Ice Sheet, Multifaceted Actors of Climate) by Jean-Louis Tison and Frank Pattyn (Université libre de Bruxelles).

Wednesday - October 5^th, 2011

• "Les réseaux d’information pour comprendre et sauvegarder la biodiversité antarctique" (Information Networks to Understand and Protect the Antarctic Biodiversity) by Bruno Danis (Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles).
• "Les îles sub-antarctiques" (The Subantarctic Islands) by Bart Van De Vijver (Jardin botanique national de Belgique, Meise).

Tuesday - October 11^th, 2011

• "L’Antarctique est un continent microbien" (Antarctica is a Microbial Continent) by Annick Wilmotte (Fonds de la Recherche scientifique – FNRS ; Université de Liège) and Anne Willems (Universiteit Gent).

Wednesday - October 12^th, 2011

• "L’astrophysique en Antarctique - les particules inattendues" (Astrophysics in Antarctica - the Unexpected Particles), by Georges Kohnen (Université de Mons).
• "Météorites en Antarctique  - archives de notre système solaire" (Meteorites in Antarctica - the Archives of our Solar System), by Vinciane Debaille (Université libre de Bruxelles).

Tuesday - October 18^th, 2011

• "La reconstruction et les prédictions climatiques en Antarctique à différentes échelles" (Climate Reconstructions and Projections In Antarctica on Different Scales) by Hugues Goosse (Fonds de la Recherche scientifique – FNRS ; Université Catholique de Louvain) and Wim Vyverman (Universiteit Gent).

The session will be coordinated by Dr. Annick Wilmotte, and the full programme of the event, as well as the practical details are available online on the Royal Academy's website.

Participation is free of charge. No prior registration is necessary.