Welcome to BPRC!
The Byrd Polar Research Center (BPRC) at The Ohio State University is recognized internationally as a leader in polar and alpine research. Our research programs are conducted throughout the world. The Center is named in honor of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, America's most famous polar explorer. There are eight research groups at BPRC, along with a Library, Archival Program, and the US Polar Rock Repository. Research at the Center focuses on the role of cold regions in the Earth's overall climate system, and encompasses geological sciences, geochemistry, glaciology, paleoclimatology, meteorology, remote sensing, ocean dynamics, and the history of polar exploration.
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Featured Sections
LARISSA Project — Ice Core Team
Members of BPRC's Ice Core Paleoclimatology Group are currently in Antarctica to drill an ice core in the Larsen Ice Shelf. Follow their work with reports and photos sent back from the field!Online Model Simulation Helps Public to Understand Climate Models
With support from OSU's Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR), a simulation was developed in the 2008-09 academic year to illustrate how climate models are constructed and used. The simulation was animated and constructed by talented OSU students Jonathan Diehl and Lane Kuhlman. Jonathan's artistic talents coupled with his Flash animation skills and Lane's intricate use of ActionScript make the site both inviting and interactive. Advisors to the project included Drs. Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Francis Otieno, and Carol Landis from BPRC. The simulation has been tested with high school students, and is appropriate for middle school through adult learners.IGS International Symposium
BPRC will be hosting the IGS International Symposium, Earth's Disappearing Ice: Drivers, Responses, and Impacts in 2010.Educational Resources
BPRC has a new section of our website targeted to students and the general public. The website features pictures, videos, and information on the research that we do, presented in an easy-to-understand format.Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears
(a free online magazine for K-5 teachers and others)Did you know that even after 100 years, debate still surrounds the question of who reached the North Pole first? Or that a 19-year-old Boy Scout accompanied Admiral Richard E. Byrd to the Antarctic in 1928? The theme of the February 2010 issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is Polar Explorers... Past and Present. This month, Laura Kissel, BPRC Polar Curator, and Lynn Lay, Librarian for the Goldthwait Polar Library, submitted the science content article; Dr. Rachel Hintz, a former GRA with CReSIS, wrote the Researcher Stories column. Check it out!
