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Are the Poles the final frontiers of research and education (R&E) networks? What are the technical, political, and scientific implications of connecting the Arctic and Antarctic to the global network for research and education? What is, for Latin America, the importance of the connectivity of Antarctica from the southernmost city in the world, Punta Arenas? Discover the answers to all these central doubts in this event, which unites the academic networks of the Americas, this time, around the poles and their connectivity.

In the activity, we will have the participation of Jorge Flies, Governor of Maghellan region and of the Chilean Antarctica, and Paola Arellano, Executive Director of REUNA (Chilean academic network that recently started, together with ANID, the Patagonia Project and signed their participation in the Declaration of Punta Arenas), who will refer to the central importance of the Antarctic connectivity through the Maghellan region for Latin America and the world. Additionally, we will have a presentation from Dr. David Holland, who will provide an overview of his current research on sea level change in the Arctic and Antarctic, and the challenges of sharing data collected at the poles.

REUNA, at the Chilean level, and RedCLARA, at the Latin American level, are working intensely on the promotion and search for connectivity in Antarctica, through Punta Arenas. In this city and thanks to the Patagonia Project, currently in the implementation stage, you will find the southernmost Point of Presence (PoP) on the planet in terms of connectivity for science and education, and the closest to Antarctica. Most importantly, National Antarctic Programmes from more than 20 countries use Punta Arenas as a gateway to the continent, more than any other city in the world.

For the same reason, it is the place chosen for the construction of the future International Antarctic Center (CAI), aimed at promoting knowledge and dissemination of the white continent, as well as developing scientific research, contributing to the global positioning of the Maghellan capital as the main “gateway” to Antarctica and provide logistical support for future polar expeditions. The work is valued at more than 80 million dollars and is promoted by the Regional Government of the Maghellan region and of the Chilean Antarctica, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Chilean Antarctic Institute.

In this route that is strategic for the development of global science, the intentions of the European Union and Chilean entities to support this process have already been presented and are of central relevance, and both networks are working on the plan to materialize this action.

After the aforementioned presentations, join us for a round table with leaders of academic networks in the Americas; namely: Luis Eliécer Cadenas, Executive Director of RedCLARA (Latin America); Jim Ghadbane, President and CEO of CANARIE (Canada); and Howard Pfeffer, President and CEO of Internet2 (United States), who will provide concrete answers on connectivity from the poles to the academic networks.

The webinar will be presented in English and Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation into French and Portuguese. Sign up here! https://canarie.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NslzFp2-TAOdLao9hCPYqQ