China yesterday launched a nationwide campaign to select 10
college students for an Arctic visit next year. The trip aims to
draw greater public attention to China's Arctic research.
The "Embrace the First Ray of Sunshine in the Arctic" trip will
provide an opportunity for the students to visit a number of
landmarks, including the Svalbard Islands in northern Norway, the
Chinese Arctic Yellow River Station and the Norwegian Polar
Institute.
"This activity, the first of its kind in China, aims to drive
home the message that the public, especially college students,
should be more concerned with the relationship between the Arctic,
global climate change and human beings," said Yang
Huigen, deputy director of the Polar Research Institute of
China.
The exploration, co-sponsored by the International Polar Year
(IPY) Chinese Committee and the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, is part of the international cooperation and exchange
activities of the China Program for IPY 2007-2008. It was
officially launched in March. It is also the fourth IPY and the
first time China has taken part.
The 10 students will be selected after a national online
knowledge contest about the polar region and a series of tests for
English proficiency and physical and psychological condition.
IPY is an international event during which scientists carry out
large-scale, joint scientific activities.
During the IPY, thousands of scientists from more than 60
countries and regions and a wide range of research disciplines,
will carry out 220 science and outreach projects.
(Xinhua News Agency, December 11, 2007)