The Mission of LTER Education is to use the uniqueness of the LTER Network to promote learning about long-term ecological processes and the earth's ecosystems. MCM actively engages school groups and the public regularly and through a variety of ways.

Vist the LTER Network's Education Site

2011/12 Outreach Activities

Oregon Public Broadcasting,Think Out Loud (Radio). Glacier change. March 2012.

Landscape changes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Harbingers of things to come? May 2012. Antarctic Seminar Series, Portland State University.

History of glacier exploration and the role of small glaciers in Sea Level Rise. March 2012. Climate Trust, Portland OR.

The Priscu Lab has continued to provide opportunities for training and development in microbiology to high school students over the past year.
Read More ->

McMurdo Dry Valleys Schoolyard LTER (SLTER)

Scientists from the McMurdo-LTER support studies on local rivers by providing technical support and sampling equipment for the students at Linworth Alternative High School in Worthington, OH. The SLTER website features waters sampling procedures, data collected by students, an interactive map of sampling locations, photos & videos, and many other educational materials.

The Lost Seal

As part of the LTER children’s book series, The Lost Seal was written by MCM Scientist Diane McKnight. This true story tells of one seal's travels in the Antarctic desert and provides an engaging framework for conveying how different Antarctica and the Dry Valleys are from the environments with which children are familiar. It contains original artwork from children in grades 2-4 from 19 different elementary schools throughout the world. The Lost Seal website contains over 400 pieces of original artwork, photos of the dry valleys, and real-life video of the lost seal.

Field Blogs

Personal Sites - Read MCM field team members' stories about their life and research activities in Antarctica as they blog from the field. Yes, we have wireless Internet in Antarctica!

Current Developments (this season blogs!)

• Lakes 2 Team - the b511m
• Limno Team - the b505m
• Stream Team - the b506m
• Geochem Team - the b509m
• Stream Team 2 (Wlostowski's Team)

Past Stories and blogs

Note, some may be not active, even dissapeared from the blogosphere.

• Eric Sokol (V. Tech, 2011-12)
• Alia Khan, (U. of Colorado, 2011-12)
• 2008 - 2009 Blogs
• 2007 - 2008 Blogs
• 2006 - 2007 Blogs

77 Degrees South - The Stream Team's online educational journal about research and life in Antarctica. Partnered with Global SchoolNet, this site contains journals, photos, information about the dry valleys, and a glossary of terms.

Interactive Educational CD

A set of interactive CDs has been developed to illustrate the research and ecology of the Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. The interactive CD for learners is designed for grades 8-10 and the accompanying teacher guide CD has supplemental information and videos.

View MCM Team Members' Outreach Activities

MCM members frequently present their research at a variety of schools, community groups and public forums. These numerous outreach events highlight not only MCM activities, but also the importance of long-term ecological data and the multidisciplinary approach taken by the LTER. We keep a database of these events, which can be viewed here.