PhD, Oceanography. Professor of Oceanography at Oregon State University. Director of the TOGA COARE International Project Office - a large international project focussed on the western Pacific and global teleconnections. Director of Atmospheric Technology Division for NCAR — that group provided observing tools to weather, climate, and air quality research around the world. Director of IPO since May 2005. email

Originally a polar microbiologist. Led the Polar Limnology research group at British Antarctic Survey for 25 years. Have spent two winters and 21 field seasons in the Antarctic and Arctic. Involved in exploration of Antarctic subglacial lakes (SALE) for the past decade. Currently Head of BAS Programme Office coordinating UK and international science activities. Involved in development of the current IPY programme since 2003. email

Physical geographer, completing a PhD on the Quartenary era in Tierra del Fuego. My keen interest is to raise public awareness of the physical world around us. I believe the International Polar Year can become a milestone in many scientific fields and to many, many people.

Responsibilities include: First point of contact for the calendar and launch events. email

Responsibilities include the database, first point of contact, and education. email

Graduated both as a business economist and naval officer, Odd Rogne came into polar research in 1979 as Deputy Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute. A few years later, he became its Director. He is one of the founders of COMNAP, FARO and IASC; and the Executive Secretary of IASC until 2006. He was also the Norwegian delegate to SCAR for several years. Ex-officio member of the Joint Committee until 2006. Presently, he is Senior Advisor to AMAP as well as the IPO.

Lived in UK, Nepal, Germany, Canada, and Antarctica. PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry. Four years working with the British Antarctic Survey, including three summers and one glorious winter at Halley Research Station. Strong desire to involve the public more in science, and the scientific process, so we all have a better understanding of how this world is changing.

Responsibilities include: Education and outreach primary contact, science, youth, arts, media, tourism, polar communities, and the website. email

Brad Feld will be competing in the 2007 North Pole Marathon. Based in Boulder, Colorado, and Home, Alaska, Brad is a managing director at Mobius Venture Capital. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also blogs.

You can find Alex deep in the labyrinthine bowels of the Natural History Museum in London. She is beavering away with her team on the next blockbuster exhibition ‘Ice Station Antarctica’. Aimed at a family audience, it’ll see if they’ve got what it takes to be polar heroes. And she’s always on the look out for stuff for the exhibition…

ANDRILL is a multinational drilling project on the Antarctic margin to recover stratigraphic records. It is comprised of more than 200 scientists, students, and educators from five nations (Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States).

I edit Ogle Earth, a weblog about Google Earth, and I'm helping with the development of the IPY site. email

The International Early Career Polar Scientists Network brings together young researchers and early career scientists with an interest in natural and social sciences of polar regions. This network provides a forum to begin international and inter-disciplinary collaborations, to exchange information and experiences about research programs, research opportunities and work conditions, and to assure that the importance of polar regions for global dynamics will be made public knowledge. We invite scholars to become members of the network, participate in discussions, meetings and educational initiatives and help foster understanding for the complexity of Arctic and Antarctic regions.

A native of Colorado, Mark McCaffrey is an associate scientist and science communications specialist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder. He is an associate of the International Polar Foundation and serves as a member of the IPY Education, Outreach, and Communications Subcommittee. Mark has worked with the NOAA Paleoclimatology Program as an education and outreach specialist, and he led the development of the Climate Change Collection, a digital library of reviewed and annotated resources.

Dale McKenzie is a former British soldier who has served in many theatres of operation during his military career. He has run his own businesses and lived in both Moscow and Los Angeles before settling down in his home city of Sunderland, UK. Dale recently completed an expedition to the Geomagnetic North Pole.

During IPY, Glenn is undertaking a kayak journey through the Arctic Ocean via Canada's North West Passage. You can find out more about this project on the project's website, Arctic Voice.

Artist, and Director of the Institute for Contemporary Art in Cape Town. Convenor of the Interpolar Transnational Art Science Constellation (IPY project 417). Expedition leader of the forthcoming I-TASC Reconnaissance and Communications Expedition (RECE) to Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica between Dec 2006-Feb 2007, which will locate sites and install infrastructure for I-TASC crews and activities during the IPY.

The POLAR ARTISTS group showcases journals and artwork from international artists — visual artists, writers, film makers, and musicians — who are dedicated to promoting awareness of the poles and the effects of climate change. They have all experienced the poles first hand, and share their art projects and visions with you. To submit articles, please contact the IPY International Office Art Liaison, Linda Mackey.

POLENET is an IPY-approved science initiative aimed at dramatically improving the coverage in geodetic, magnetic, and seismic data across the Polar Regions. With 24 different nations involved, POLENET is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen international science collaboration. While this collaboration undoubtedly includes input from some of the best and most well-known researchers in the world, it also includes the participation of countless students and young scientists, working to become the next generation of top-tier researchers. In our blog posts we intend to highlight the experiences of this younger POLENET generation with stories coming from around the globe.

Grant is a New Zealander and captain of the Tara, which is sailing to the North pole and back during 2006-2008. During that time, Tara will be used as a platform for a range of scientific observations and experiments. More about the expedition at Tara Expeditions.

After getting a degree in Medicine, Lucia Simion decided to pursue a career as a science journalist and photographer. She has journeyed to Antarctica seven times — to cover the building of the French-Italian station Concordia at Dome C, the EPICA project, and daily life at Mario Zucchelli station, Dumont d'Urville, Scott base and McMurdo. She is Italian, based in Paris since 1996.

Glenn "Marty" Stein is a Life Member of the American Polar Society and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. One of his primary objectives is to interest and educate the public in polar history — this is vital if people of today and the future are going to appreciate and preserve not only human cultures and historical sites, but the vast variety of plant and animal life. email

Gonçalo Vieira is a geography enthusiast from the Centre of Geographical studies of the University of Lisbon. His work focuses on the geomorphodynamics of polar regions, particularly in relation to climate change. Since 1999 he has worked in projects on permafrost and climate change in the Antarctic. See more here.

Jose Xavier is a marine biologist from the Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve. Carries out Polar research since 1997, focusing primarily on predator-prey interactions in the marine ecosystem in relation to climate and environmental changes. See more here.