CReSIS and NSF are committed to recruiting, retaining and educating students within a diverse, multidisciplinary research team that focuses on topics related to global climate change and remote sensing. Equally important is our goal to reach out to K-12 students, their teachers and the general public. We want to give them resources to learn more about the Polar Regions and understand how they are studied, so all members of society can better comprehend why changes in Polar Regions could impact everyone in the world.

During summer 2013, students at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia explored the use of autonomous robotics in industry and research; the engineering design cycle and the fundamentals of robot design. Students worked with a team mentor on projects which involved learning the fundamentals of earth science. Participants also learned:

• Analysis and robot prototyping
• Testing and optimization of robot design
• VRC Gateway game rules

CReSIS scientists design, build, and utilize mobile robots to autonomously traverse polar terrain in order to conduct research and perform radar data gathering in Antarctica and Greenland.