GVSU brings polar extravaganza to community

From snowshoeing and penguin habits, to Antarctica’s volcanoes and the Northern Lights, Super Science Saturday at Grand Valley State University will focus on "Polar Themes in Science & Culture." This fun-filled day for K-12 students, teachers, parents and the public community takes place on the Allendale Campus on January 26, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Each of the more than 30 events is free and open to the public.

Every lab and classroom in Padnos Hall will be filled with hands-on activities providing opportunities to experience the science and communities of the Polar Regions. Events are planned by a wide range of Grand Valley science, mathematics, engineering, movement science, statistics and arts faculty and community groups.

An Inuit art exhibit is on loan from the Dennos Museum in Traverse City, which houses one of the finest, historically complete collections of Inuit Art in the United States. Presentations include a play, a musical performance and academic speakers.

School groups are requested to provide one adult chaperone for every five students. This open house is sponsored by the Regional Math & Science Center, Department of Geology and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in conjunction with Sibs and Kids weekend, with special funding provided by the Michigan Space Grant Consortium.

For a complete schedule or more information, call (616) 331-2267, or visit, www.gvsu.edu/rmsc .

A sample of guest presenters:

Walruses, Ribbon Seals, Sea Ice, and Climate Change
10:30 a.m. & Noon, 102 Loutit Lecture Hall
G. Carleton Ray, research professor from University of Virginia, will discuss the implications of changes that will result from an ice-diminished Beringia, the former “land bridge” between Asia and North America, which is now submerged. This area is also where climate change is most rapid, with consequences for that ecosystem and for its native inhabitants.

NASA & the International Polar Year
A Look at the Past, Present, and Future
9:30 a.m. & 11 a.m., 103 Loutit Lecture Hall
James B. Fitzgerald, aerospace education specialist, will highlight NASA education opportunities for teachers and parents to use with their students for the International
Polar Year (IPY).

The Ice Wolf
9:45 a.m. & 12:45 p.m., 101 Loutit Lecture Hall
Karen Libman, professor of theatre at Grand Valley, brings some of her students to the stage for playwright Joanna Halpert Kraus story of Anatou, exiled by her own people because she was “the different one.” She becomes a wolf and must confront her own hatred and fear in order to be redeemed by truth and love, during this compelling piece of theatre for the entire family.

On the Northern Front
11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m., 101 Loutit Lecture Hall
The GVSU New Music Ensemble, directed by Bill Ryan, and acclaimed violinist Todd Reynolds present the premiere of a new work composed by Ryan and inspired by the Arctic photography of Ken Tape. Projected photographs will accompany the performance.

How Michigan Animals Survive the Winter
1:15 p.m. & 2:15 p.m., 102 Loutit Lecture Hall
Blandford Nature Center Naturalists Lori Martin and Mike Botwinski bring a live animal display to their talk about how the animals in Michigan survive the winter.