As part of an International Polar Year (IPY) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) took 29 underrepresented minority students and teachers on a research expedition to Antarctica over winter break 2007. The program, called IPY-ROAM (International Polar Year – Research and Educational Experiences in Antarctica for Minorities), has several goals. The first is to perform leading-edge research in the polar regions to understand more about global climate change. In addition, IPY-ROAM exposes students and teachers to the broad scope and diversity of fields involved in polar science and plans to infuse these fields with top minority researchers. The final aspect of the project is to help educate the general public, especially students, about the critical need to study polar regions. A significant outreach component to IPY-ROAM includes educating, informing, and stimulating the interest of students at local schools in El Paso, TX, about polar sciences and the vulnerability of the polar regions to climate change. El Paso, together with its sister city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, is the world’s largest bi-national metropolitan area, with more than two million people. El Paso’s student population mirrors the demographics of the community it serves: over two-thirds (79%) are Hispanic/Latinos. We developed an IPY-ROAM Promise Banner Outreach program that consisted of 2 visits to selected schools: one before and one after IPY-ROAM participants traveled to Antarctica. Prior to departure, 11 schools, including approximately 22 classrooms and 615 students, were visited.  The pre-departure outreach consisted of presentations about the IPY-ROAM program and polar science followed by interactive discussions on conservation and the Promise Banners. Promise Banners were personalized, fabric signs made by each classroom designed to be displayed in Antarctica by ROAM student researchers. Each student pledged to reduce their footprint on the environment before signing the banner. The complete post-trip outreach plan will consist of a summary of the research completed in Antarctica, a Promise Banner reunion (where applicable), and a feedback assessment of each student’s interest in IPY-ROAM, Antarctica, and polar sciences. 

Results/Conclusions

A rapid evaluation from the feedback provided by teachers indicates that interest in polar science remains high, and student interest will be solidified upon revisiting the classrooms. We estimate that approximately 1000 students in the El Paso school district will be informed about the polar regions through the eyes of the IPY-ROAM experience.