Senators Stevens and Murkowski to Co-Chair Joint Hearing on International Polar Year

Press Release

Washington, D.C. - Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today announced they will co-chair a joint hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the upcoming International Polar Year. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at 3:15 p.m. in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

International Polar Year (IPY) will take place from March 2007 to March 2009 and will feature a collection of scientific and educational activities. These activities are designed to educate the public about the Earth's polar regions, advance our understanding of how these regions impact global climate systems, spur scientific research, and encourage students to pursue science and engineering.

"International Polar Year will give people around the world an opportunity to learn more about our Earth's polar regions," said Senator Stevens, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. "It is my hope this initiative will provide lawmakers and the public with more information about global climate change and how it affects the Arctic, including Alaska."

"This hearing will be an important step not only for the success of the International Polar Year, but for spurring a sustained, long-term interest in polar knowledge and research for years to come," said Senator Murkowski, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "That both Alaskan Senators will be chairing this joint hearing demonstrates the importance of this multinational effort to Alaska, as well as the willingness of the United States to play a meaningful role in IPY activities over the next few years."

The primary goal of Tuesday's hearing is to learn more about critical research questions the international scientific community plans to address during IPY. The following individuals are scheduled to testify:

• Dr. Buck Sharpton, Vice Chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for Research Services;
• Dr. Alan Parkinson, Deputy Director of the Arctic Investigation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
• Mr. Mead Treadwell, Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission;
• Dr. Robin Bell, Research Scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory;
• Dr. Arden L. Bement, Jr., Director of the National Science Foundation;
• Vice Admiral Robert Papp, Chief of Staff of the United States Coast Guard; and
• Dr. Thomas Armstrong, Earth Surface Dynamics Program Coordinator at the United States Geological Survey.

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