Schedule

Summit Session Information and Schedule

The Polar STEAM Summit will invite participants to explore new ways of connecting polar science, creativity, and education through hands-on, reflective, and collaborative experiences while focused on the themes of storytelling, art integration, and science communication.  

Thursday Evening Kickoff Event: Creating Knowledge in Climate Extremes

How has our knowledge of polar regions — from the 19th century to today — been challenged by climate extremes? We’ll start the Summit with an evening of short film and conversation with environmental humanities professor Hester Blum as she reflects on the production of polar knowledge and the power of storytelling. A participant in the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan, the world’s last surviving wooden whaleship, Bloom has served as a historian on voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. She is the author of The News at the Ends of the Earth: The Print Culture of Polar Exploration.

Event start 7:00 p.m. Cash bar at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are included in Summit registration. Learn more about this event here.

Friday and Saturday Sessions:

For two full days, participants will engage in interactive sessions that focus on creatively communicating science to connect with new audiences including informal learning spaces, outreach events, and the public.  

• Sessions will explore why polar science matters, how to build meaningful community connections, and how creative approaches can support STEM identity and career pathways. 
• Through our Data Jam event, attendees will work with authentic polar data while experimenting with visual, written, and performative ways of transforming scientific findings into compelling, emotionally resonant, and rigorous narratives for a range of audiences.
• Researchers will present their science through a competitive science slam event, providing an opportunity to practice concise, high‑impact research communication and connect with peers across disciplines.
• Panels and conversation-based sessions will share best practices in art–science integration, offering practical guidance, mentorship, and networking opportunities from across the Polar STEAM community and beyond.

Propose a session here by June 30.

Friday Night Performance: Into the Ice

Our evening performance will feature a ground-breaking collaboration between Irish music icon Seamus Egan and lauded New York-based Scots-Irish harper Maeve Gilchrist. Using their common language of traditional Celtic music, Egan and Gilchrist explore one of the most extraordinary palettes imaginable: the Antarctic. The pair immerse us into the world of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-17 Trans-Antarctic Expedition through a myriad of traditional instruments alongside electronic manipulation, sound design, poetry and spoken word. Step into the environment of ice, camaraderie, austere beauty and human ego — all set against the backdrop of Europe in World War I and an Irishman far from home.

Event start 7:00 p.m. Tickets are included in Summit registration. Learn more about this event here.

Saturday evening celebration

We will gather in the town of Corvallis to celebrate our new insights, friendships, and collaboration possibilities.

Event start 6:00 p.m. Dinner provided.

Detailed schedule TBD. Check back for session titles, descriptions, and facilitators.

Want to facilitate a session or share your research at the Science Slam? Learn about opportunities and apply using the Summit Form by June 30.