Polar talks and workshops

Join British Antarctic Survey scientists, storytellers and climate specialists in a series of eye-opening talks and workshops at the National Maritime Museum.

New events will be taking place every day throughout the Ice Worlds festival from 28-30 October.

Anyone with either an Ice Worlds ticket or entry to the National Maritime Museum can enjoy these events. Simply head to the room listed at the time of the activity.

Please note: all events operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so arrive early to avoid disappointment. You can also watch a selection of talks live on YouTube here.

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Main photo © David Vaughan/courtesy of British Antarctic Survey

Scroll down for further details on each talk 

Life in the Arctic: science, nature and us – Thursday 28 October

Speaker: Henry Burgess

Suitable for ages 7+

What is it like to live and work in the Arctic? What animals might you see there? Why do scientists work in the Arctic and where do they do their research? Who else lives and works or visits the Arctic? 

If you are fascinated by polar bears, icebergs, very cold places and cool science then this session – with lots of pictures and short films - will be perfect for you.

Life at sea: living and working on RRS Sir David Attenborough – Thursday 28, Friday 29 and Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Captain Will Whatley

Suitable for ages 11+

The Captain of the RRS Sir David Attenborough will talk about what the ship will be doing during its first Antarctic season and what it's like to live and work in Antarctica. He'll also explain more about the marine team on board and modern techniques for ice breaking and polar navigation.

Cool robotics for oceanography – Thursday 28 October

Speaker: Alex Brearley 

Suitable for 7+ years

Discover the range of different underwater ocean robots used to explore deep oceans, which will help to answer important questions about the state of the ocean and how it is changing. 

Living and working in the polar regions – Friday 29 October

Speaker: Iain Rudkin

Suitable for ages 7+

Behind every morsel of scientific data lies months and often years of meticulous planning, requiring a support network covering a myriad of specialities. This talk invites you into this world, and what it's like to live and work in the polar regions supporting world class science.

How to work in polar science – Friday 29 October

Speaker: Amelie Kirchgaessner 

Suitable for ages 7+

Interested in becoming a scientist and working in some of the coldest places on Earth? Learn more about what polar scientists do and the variety of people that they work with.  

Antarctic sea animals – Friday 29 October

Speaker: Hugh Venables 

Suitable for ages 7+

Learn about the sea life in some of the coldest and remote places on Earth. 

Boaty McBoatface and the Thwaites Glacier – Friday 29 October

Speaker: Rob Larter (National Oceanography Centre) 

Suitable for ages 7+

Learn how scientists are trying to understand the state of the Thwaites Glacier, sometimes called the Doomsday Glacier, using robotic underwater vehicles like Boaty McBoatface. 

Science on board the RRS Sir David Attenborough – Friday 29 October

Speaker: Geraint Tarling 

Suitable for ages 7+

Have you ever wondered why scientists take research ships to the ends of the Earth to do science? What sort of science do they do – and how? Join Geraint to find out what it will be like to be a scientist on board a polar research vessel like the RRS Sir David Attenborough.

Citizen science: Counting walrus from space – Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Hannah Cubaynes 

Suitable for ages 7+

Learn about the citizen science project that is using satellites to count the walrus population and understand how the climate crisis is affecting them. You can also find out how you too can become a walrus detective!  

Cool science on the RRS Sir David Attenborough – Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Sophie Fielding 

Suitable for ages 11+

Learn more about the science that will be done on board the RRS Sir David Attenborough in the Antarctic to better understand the science of polar regions and climate change. 

Toward net zero: decarbonising Antarctica – Saturday 30 October

Speakers: Nopi Exizidou and Natalia Ford

Suitable for ages 14+

A short presentation on the aspirations and challenges of modernising British Antarctic Survey Research Stations and achieving sustainable development.

Boaty McBoatface and the Thwaites Glacier – Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Rob Larter (National Oceanography Centre) 

Suitable for ages 14+

Learn how scientists are trying to understand the state of the Thwaites Glacier, sometimes called the Doomsday Glacier, using robotic underwater vehicles like Boaty McBoatface. 

Why past climates are key to future offshore windfarms – Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Gareth Carter (National Oceanography Centre) 

Suitable for ages 11+

Discover how the legacy of our last ice age is providing the crucial foundations for one of our modern-day climate change solutions.   

From ice cores to space lasers: the life of a polar scientist – Saturday 30 October

Speakers: Dorothea Moser and Bryony Freer

Suitable for ages 11+

Two polar scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, Dorothea Moser and Bryony Freer, talk about their exciting work to better understand the past, present and future changes of climate in Antarctica.  They will explain the different tools they use for their research, unlocking the stories of ice from individual snowflakes to an entire frozen continent. You’ll even hear about how scientists manage to live and work in some of the coldest and most remote conditions on Earth!

Mission to net zero: How will ships be green in the future? – Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Neale Ryan (Innovate UK)

Suitable for ages 14+

Most of the stuff we buy in the UK arrives on a ship from somewhere else in the world, and this global trade is expected to grow and grow during this century. So how will shipping play its role in reducing emissions in the future? And why does it matter? Come and find out what the future looks like, and hear of two projects in London that are leading the way.

Water and the climate system – Saturday 30 October

Speakers: Caroline Holmes/ Floor van den Heuvel

Suitable for ages 14+

Water in the polar regions exists in many forms: solid (ice sheets, sea ice, snow and ice in clouds), liquid (oceans and water in clouds), and gas (water vapour as part of the atmosphere). One of the main interests of the Atmosphere, Ice and Climate team at the British Antarctic Survey is the interaction between climate and water, especially clouds and sea ice. Join the team on a watery adventure through the Antarctic atmosphere, and find out how these processes are affected by, and in turn affect, global climate.

How to work in polar science – Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Carson McAfee 

Suitable for ages 7+

A talk from an engineering perspective about living and working in Antarctica. In this talk, Carson will reveal the cold places he goes, the cool things he does, and the variety of people he works with. 

Understanding Antarctica's most worrying glacier – Saturday 30 October

Speaker: Anna Crawford

Suitable for ages 11+ 

Scientists are racing to determine the fate of Thwaites Glacier, a dauntingly unstable Antarctic glacier the size of Britain. If Thwaites were to fully collapse it would rise global sea levels by over 60cm. This fact, plus the glacier’s vulnerability to rapid retreat, has resulted in the glacier being dubbed 'The Doomsday Glacier'.

The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration has united researchers from across the world to gain an understanding of how this important glacier flows, fractures and retreats. Join this talk to learn more about the big questions that concern these scientists, and how they working to answer them with investigations of glacier dynamics, ocean currents, historical records and atmospheric patterns.

Grand designs: Sustainable construction in the Antarctic (14+ yrs) 

Speaker: David Brand 

Suitable for ages 14+

How can we construct sustainable buildings in one of the most isolated and extreme places on Earth? In this talk, you’ll hear about the design of the Discovery Building, a new and impressive science and operations facility at Rothera Research Station in Antarctica. Learn more about how it has embraced objectives regarding sustainability towards Net Zero Carbon.