The Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA) Program is one that partners teachers with scientists, enabling those teachers to participate in cutting-edge polar research designed to increase content knowledge, enhance teaching skills and transfer the experience to the classroom.

The SDSU Global Change Research Group, directed by Dr. Walter Oechel, is conducting research to elucidate the responses of plants and ecosystems to elevated CO2 in order to aid the understanding of potential changes so that politicians can make informed policy decisions that affect the world's biological future.

Two teachers from San Diego's north county will be conducting research with the Global Change Research Group (GCRG) in March 2004.  Cece Vevoda, 3rd grade teacher at Empresa Elementary in Oceanside and Sally Fox, 5th grade teacher at Lake Elementary in Oceanside, will be bravely venturing into below zero temperatures of northern Alaska. They will be collecting data and calibrating equipment in the villages of Barrow and Atqasuk in Alaska's North Slope. This adventure will be led by Kimberly Davis, research assistant at the GCRG.  Cece, Sally and Kimberly are also enthusiastic participants in SDSU's PISCES Project.   Hands-on science activities relating to the climate change research being performed by the teachers will take place daily while the teachers are in Alaska.  Two university students will be leading the classroom science activities:  Debbie DeRoma (SDSU and The PISCES Project) will be working with Cece Vevoda's  3rd graders and Mario Malfavon (CSUSM) will be working with Sally Fox's 5th graders.

This experience will be partly supported by the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC). BASC is a unique,  community-based organization that provides logistical and financial support for scientific research in Barrow. BASC is supported by the North Slope Borough (the regional government for Alaska’s North Slope), the Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation (a corporation owned by the Native people of Barrow, founded under authority of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act), and Ilisagvik College (the local center for post-secondary education).