Gustavus Adolphus College

Ann Bancroft will visit Gustavus on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Polar explorer and Minnesota native Ann Bancroft will deliver the keynote address at the fourth annual Science and Nature Conference on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Gustavus Adolphus College is the site of the conference which is sponsored by the South Central Service Cooperative and the Minnesota Center for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence.

Bancroft will speak to students in grades 3-9 at the conference at 9 a.m. and then appear at a luncheon at 12 p.m. in Alumni Hall, located in the O.J. Johnson Student Union. At some point during the day, Bancroft is expected to announce the details of her next expedition.

Bancroft is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers and a highly sought-after public speaker. In 1986 she traveled 1,000 miles by dogsled from the Northwest Territories in Canada to the North Pole as the only female member of the Steger International Polar Expedition, earning her the distinction of being the first known woman in history to cross the ice to the North Pole. More recently, in 2001, Bancroft and Norwegian polar explorer Liv Arnesen became the first women in history to sail and ski across Antarctica’s landmass when they completed a 94-day, 1,717 mile trek.

In addition to Bancroft’s address, conference attendees will take part in breakout sessions where they will have the chance to learn about a range of topics including how schools can reduce their carbon footprint, the history of Minnesota’s glaciers, how cheese is made, and the science of wind power.

The cost to attend the luncheon is $25 per person and $10 for students. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 17. Online registration is available at www.mnscsc.org.