About
IGLO is a project of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, an international organization of science centers and museums dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science. IGLO is led by Walter Staveloz, the Director of International Relations.
Our Goals
- Raise public awareness about the impact of global warming.
- Position science centers globally as recognized leaders in public engagement with science.
- Support the aims and objectives of the IPY.
IGLO is designed to raise worldwide public awareness about global warming and the particular ways that the Polar Regions profoundly influence the Earth's climate, environments, ecosystems, and human society. IGLO's activities will present the best of current research to an international audience and explain how global warming affects their daily lives.
The primary anticipated outcomes of IGLO include the following:
- World citizens better educated about the impact of the Polar Regions on global climate systems;
- World citizens better educated about the impact of human actions on climate;
- World citizens better educated about the environmental impacts of energy consumption;
- World citizens better informed about environmental and energy related choices they will need to make now and in the future;
- Decision makers clearly informed about the actions world citizens expect will be undertaken to save the planet.
IGLO was officially launched on March 1, 2007 to coincide with the start of the IPY. IGLO's materials to communicate science to large audiences includes a toolkit that science centers and museums can use for their own IPY activities. Future IGLO will plans include common events among international museums, same day events, and cooperative programs among its members, to help further the use of the toolkit provided.
What makes IGLO unique and likely to be highly effective in achieving these outcomes is the capacity of ASTC to organize cooperative action all over the world through its 541 members. Combined, these events will have a strong multiplying effect, creating great public relations opportunities and unique conditions in which to monitor changes in public attitudes:
IGLO Programs and Events
The second of the "Science of IPY" series of interactive videoconferences, the theme of this event is "The Changing Planet." Participating institutions will include schools and science centers. The videoconference will be scheduled for a time that allows for participants from many time zones to be involved.
21
science centers, schools, and other organizations around the world will
invite youngsters to create a white surface 15m x 15m to represent the
arctic surface and show the importance of the poles in maintaining the
Earth's temperature. Each site will host additional activities around
this theme. NASA satellites will record measurements,
which will then be analyzed and the results disseminated at 5SCWC. Science centers
are invited to create a full scientific and educational program around
this event. For more information, check the IGLO blog.
June 15-20, 2008: 5th Science Centre World Congress (5SCWC)
At the Congress, to be held in Toronto,
IGLO will present the results of the Albedo Experiment and discuss the reasons for its success from a science education and media standpoint. News clips will be shared.
Spring 2009: Interactive Virtual World Tour of Endangered Sites
In this International Polar Year Event, participants will travel all over the world via videoconference and "meet" with polar scientists at many of the world's most exotic and endangered sites to learn about the local effects of climate change.
2009: International Year of Astronomy
