The 2019 Saildrone Antarctic Circumnavigation is our most ambitious mission to date: 15,000 nautical miles, 270 days, in the harshest ocean environment on the planet. The mission is an education outreach initiative that endeavors to use cutting-edge Saildrone technology to expose future generations to the rapid changes taking place in the Antarctic. To bring Antarctica to classrooms around the world, the 1851 Trust developed a series science, technology, engineering, and math lesson plans based on meteorological and oceanographic measurements Saildrone is collecting in the Southern Ocean during the mission.
The wing design contest and “How Antarctica Affects Me” video contest asked participants to reflect on the lessons learned from the STEM curriculum and either reimagine the graphics of a saildrone wing or create a video explaining how changes in Antarctica affect the climate and ecosystem where they live. Through generous support from the Li Ka Shing Foundation (LKSF), five grand prize winners will travel to Alameda, CA, to tour Saildrone HQ and other technology startups dedicated to sustainability.
We were overwhelmed by the number and quality of the entries and the judges at Saildrone and the LKSF have had the difficult task of selecting one grand prize winner in each of the Wing Design Categories: Junior (age 12 and younger), Open (age 13 and older), and three winners in the Video Category.
The creativity of the entries is truly impressive! Saildrone and the LKSF would like to thank all of the entrants for their hard work, and a huge congratulations to the winners below!
Honorable Mentions:
Honorable Mentions:
Ng Cheuk Yin Darren, 13 years old
Ian Tan, 13 years old
Lam Chi Ming, 15 years old
The 2019 Antarctic Circumnavigation is a unique opportunity to collaborate with scientists and researchers from the world’s leading science organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Palmer Long Term Ecological Research, Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), the University of Gothenburg, and the Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, and many others.
Students, teachers, scientists, and the general public are invited to follow along on the mission website. Explore the interactive mission map, follow live mission updates, read blog posts about climate and ecosystem issues in Antarctica, and download the STEM curriculum, free for teachers and educators, and saildrone.com/antarctica.