Its mandate is to provide youth, educators and scientists from around the world with learning and teaching opportunities in the polar regions, with the goal of fostering an understanding of, and commitment to building a more sustainable future.
The objective of a Students on Ice expedition is to inspire and challenge youth at a critical time in their lives to think and act positively and proactively as global citizens.
SOI creates attachments between the world and the young citizens who inhabit it by putting them physically in contact with issues relating to the planet's well-being.
In 2012, he was appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition of "his contributions as an environmental educator and explorer, notably his commitment to conservation issues in the Arctic and Antarctic.
He has been a guest speaker at the Royal Geographical Society in London, England, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., and the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa.
It is at this time of year that the surrounding sea ice has melted sufficiently to allow access to Antarctic waters, which are abundant with millions of penguins, seals, seabirds and whales.
The SOI website states: “We take advantage of all our opportunities, while at the same time respecting the power of the Antarctic climate.” Expeditions begin in late December when students travel to gateway cities of Toronto, New York, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, or Santiago, Chile, ultimately to convene as one international group in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost town in the world.
Students typically spend a day in Ushuaia hiking into the Tierra del Fuego backcountry and participating in pre-expedition educational activities.
The SOI's southern expeditions have been conducted on the research vessel, the MV Ushuaia, built in 1970 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Activities include Zodiac cruises, shore landings, hikes, community visits, and ship-based presentations, workshops, small group discussions and time for personal reflection On average, the summer expedition is 15 days in length.
Once aboard the ship, students have the opportunity to observe humpbacks, minke whales, orcas, narwhals, bowhead whales, belugas, walruses, polar bears and dozens of seabird species, and to explore high Arctic coastal regions via Zodiac boat excursions and landings to see glaciers, icebergs, fjords, and the world's northernmost communities and research stations.
Expeditions beginning in Iceland have in the past included land-based activities such as a day in Reykjavík; visits to the Blue Lagoon, active geysers, Iceland's icecap, ancient fishing villages, the volcanic Vestmannaeyjar, or Westman Islands; a tour of a geothermal power plant; a hike in Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site or along the shores of Skagafjörður, aka the Skaga Fjord, Saudarkrokur; a trip to Hvammstangi, home of the Icelandic Seal Centre, or the Husavik Whale Museum, located on the eastern shore of the Skjalfandi Bay.
Expeditions to Labrador have included trekking in the Torngat Mountains National Park and Zodiac landings at Killiniq Island and Cape Chidley.
Most recently, the SOI's expedition vessel of choice has been the MV Clipper Adventurer, an ice-capable charter ship operating in both polar regions.
Lectures and workshop subjects included geology, geopolitics, social and cultural history, terrestrial ecology, marine biology, glaciology, oceanography and hydrology, atmospheric sciences, ornithology, and environmental studies.
Students were also given a chance to work with the education team members on ongoing scientific research (e.g., wildlife surveys, measuring pollution levels in ice core samples, plankton tows focusing on marine diversity, etc.)
Four alumni were selected for the Canadian Youth Delegation to COP 15, the United Nations Climate Change Meetings that took place in Copenhagen in December 2009, and another SOI alumnus has interned for the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat in Denmark.
Others have expressed their views in the media and the arts, science and environmental columnists, exhibited landscape artists, or as editors/contributors to the SOI alumnus publication, the Alumni Ice Cap newsletter.
[22] In 2008, the Canadian government designated Niginganiq (Isabella Bay), Nunavut, as a National Wildlife Area after over 20 years of pressure from local Inuit and more recently, a petition campaign initiated by SOI alumni.
[27] SOI provides opportunities for established Canadian scientists to pursue their research in the field thus contributing to active museum collections and helping to advance the state of learning in their areas of expertise.
[28] Students on Ice has a network of partner businesses, associations, foundations, universities, museums, government agencies and not-for-profit and charitable organisations that support and contribute to the operation of SOI programs.