Please note that while these programs are specifically structured to serve as a kind of mini "in-service" for teachers, some segments may also be of great interest to students. For example, if your students can tolerate graphic images of frostbite, you may find the "Safety on the Ice" segment serves as a powerful introduction to several of the Hands-On Activities relating to weather, climate and pre-planning such as "Working in a Freezer." (See program 7)

1) Introduction to the Continent (00:40)
2) Getting There (03:04)
3) Safety on the Ice (10:59)
4) Science on the Ice (19:28)

1) Introduction to the Continent (00:40-03:04, segment running time 02:24)
A fast-paced introduction to key features of the continent, summarizing the most important facts about temperatures, geology and living creatures, using dramatic images of ice sheets, volcanoes, the 3 main U.S. bases and close-ups of penguins, elephant seals, whales and calving glaciers.

2) Getting There (03:04-10:59, segment running time 07:55)
This segment (from an official NSF video) is the kind of information new participants in the USAP receive as a briefing before traveling to Antarctica. Quotations from the Personnel Manual remind you that the plane you ride in is more like a military transport than a commercial jet. On the other hand, it's also noted that the USAP's ski-equipped planes can fly to all regions of Antarctica, a unique capability, supplemented by the helicopters used for shorter trips. At 04:51 there are scenes of the equally wide variety of ground transportation, with wheels, or tracks or skis being used depending on snow or ice conditions. At 05:36 we find out what it's like to fly to the South Pole, usually only possible between November and January, leaving Earth's most remote scientific station isolated for the remainder of the year. At 05:57 P2K's original video shows what it's like to travel to Palmer Station by ship, embarking at Punta Arenas, Chile. This route takes you across the Drake Passage, some of the roughest seas on Earth. We eavesdrop as Marine Projects Coordinator, Al Hickey, briefs the scientist passengers: "If you go overboard, that's probably it. OK, we'll probably get you back but I doubt you'll be alive." It's worth ensuring students realize research in Antarctica remains a physical adventure as well as an intellectual challenge. En route to Palmer we see some of the close-up footage of penguins which makes Program 4 so memorable, and finally arrive at Palmer, NSF's main site for marine biology.

3) Safety on the Ice (10:59-19:28, segment running time 08:29)
"Great God this is an awful place..." The words of the English explorer Robert Falcon Scott begin this second excerpt from an official NSF briefing, which also includes presentations on ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) clothing, what to eat and drink (and what to avoid, such as alcohol and cigarettes) and safety in crevasse-prone areas. Once again, a viewer gets the feeling of preparing for an actual trip out into the wild weather and extremes of Antarctica as you learn about Conditions 3, 2, and 1-each characterized by progressively harsher wind, colder temperatures and lessening visibility-and appropriate precautions to take.

4) Science on the Ice (19:28-29:00, segment running time 09:32)
The final section of Educator program A provides an overview of the wide variety of science done in Antarctica and offers an opportunity to hear personal comments from some of the researchers seen at greater length in the classroom videos. You may well find that this segment provides an engaging introduction to Antarctic research and researchers which might be used with students to accompany the Opening Activities.