Mark Mc Caffrey presents the International Polar Year at the AAAS Arctic Science meeting
The theme of the 2006 conference held in Fairbanks (Alaska) was: "State of the Arctic: Current State of the Arctic – Observations of Arctic Change". In the framework of the International Polar Year session, Mark Mc Caffrey -associate scientist and science communications specialist at CIRES and an IPF associate - gave a presentation entitled "the 125 year legacy of the International Polar Year" which examined how the three prior and upcoming IPY offer a century and a quarter framework to examine polar science in general as well as cultural, scientific and technological changes over the past several generations.
The conference included a keynote address by David Carlson of the IPY Programme Office, who showcased the IPY "honeycomb" chart and emphasized that the process is still open , primarily through partnerships with endorsed projects. Numerous thematic breakout sessions were held on topics ranging from arctic arts and sciences, to community monitoring programs and their challenges and rewards. On the first evening of the conference, a reception was held at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks Museum, which features a world-class collection of contemporary and historic Arctic art.