Recommendation: Create an Arctic Virtual Outreach Center (AVOC) has media, education, and policy elements offer information, visuals, and educational opportunities aimed at multiple audiences Goal: Help people who can’t visit in person see/hear/learn about the Arctic and related research

Rationale (media examples) Limited public understanding of the Arctic Limited opportunities for media to visit Arctic for in-depth coverage –Media responds to “fires”; e.g. new research papers Limited flow of questions and ideas from public and policy world to scientists Good information on Arctic is available, but scattered and hard to find Uneven quality of reporting, from local press to national/international press

Possible AVOC elements Regularly updated data sets for wide use –Sea-ice extent, temperature, precipitation –Accessible format –As recent as possible--but in proper perspective –Graphics suitable for media/educational use –Easy to find –Update schedule clearly identified Visuals archive –Photos, videos, scientific illustrations & animations –Multiple resolutions, metadata easy to find –Copyright-cleared in advance –Contributions solicited from scientists, public

Possible AVOC elements Explanations of key Arctic phenomena and research findings Opportunities for media –Expert list, reporter trips, online press conferences, etc. Education –K-12 to gray –Project-based workspaces for students –Professional development for teachers

Training science professionals To recognize that critical thinking and public motivation often comes from disciplines outside the natural science Recommendations: –Foster connections among social and natural sciences –Arctic arts and sciences event –Media training for Arctic scientists, including strategies to generate stories AVOC could play role in connecting scientists to media

Policy Link AVOC to NOAA-funded RISA (Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments) program and associated center, ACCAP (Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy), which acts as umbrella for organizing stakeholders in Alaska AVOC activities for media and education are expected to yield results for policy as well