Blue Ice International
BLUE ICE INTERNATIONAL – in 1995 envisioned the creation of an educational framework that uses Antarctica as a catalyst for sustaining an interactive global learning network. Once constructed this interactive world wide network would ignite the students desire to learn through dynamic content and the collaboration of experiences, data, and resources. This educational framework would be delivered via the blue ice crystals network (each school a crystal ) which would be energized by programs which embraced the scientific technological environmental cultural and aesthetic aspects of snow ice and cold as it exists on earth and throughout the solar system.
Education through Exploration - Learning adventures that brought students and teachers around the world together for a shared educational experience - with the continent of Antarctica as the foundational core. Blue Ice International was a non-profit organization active, for 25 years (1990-2015), that was committed to bringing students and teachers around the world immersive and engaging programs that focused on getting out of the classroom and into the field.
In 1995 Blue Ice International was established to create an educational framework that used Antarctica as the catalyst and would be fueled by programs that embraced the scientific, technological, environmental and cultural aspects of snow and ice as it exists on earth and throughout the solar system.
Nagano Olympics Teacher/Student Program
1998
In February 1998 scientists from the Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, Md.) worked with Blue Ice International to assist U.S. students and teachers on an educational trip and enrichment program in Nagano, Japan – the site of the Winter Olympics. The program was designed to engage students internationally in an immersive study of snow and ice throughout the world. Early video conferencing software enabled simultaneous participation between the students and teachers on site in Japan and their home classrooms thousands of miles away.
Kamishibai – Antarctic Story by Penguin Family
1995
The word “kamishibai” is derived from two Japanese words: “kami”, meaning paper, and “shibai”, meaning theater or stage. Some call it “paper theater” and “suitcase theater”, but one thing is for sure: it’s the art of storytelling and narration using visuals, which merges several forms of art.
During the Nagano Olympics Teacher/Student Program in 1998 – a young Japanese student was so inspired that she created her own story.
H.O.W. – History of Winter Program
2001 – 2015
The History of Winter (H.O.W.) was a week long “teacher as scientist” Cryosphere-focused field experience for elementary and secondary science teachers held annually in Lake Placid, NY from 2001 – 2015.
H.O.W. utilized an experiential learning opportunity for teachers to connect firsthand with the same field research techniques utilized for ground validation for NASA sattelite missions. Teachers working alongside scientists are able to experience science inquiry firsthand – a benchmark experience on which they can build an inquiry based learning platform in their own classrooms.
I.C.E. 2002 – Ituralde Crater Expedition
FALL 2002
ICE2002 (Iturralde Crater Expedition 2002) a Blue Ice International (in association with NASA) sponsored expedition to the Iturralde structure (a suspected impact crater site) located in northeastern Bolivia. The goal of ICE2002 was to collect scientific evidence from the structure and its surroundings that would prove the existence of an impact crater to be identified as the Araona crater. The name Araona honored the local indigenous people who have their villages and hunting camps within 20 kilometers of the structure.