October 23, 2021
Joint work of the groups from PGI and State Nature Reserve Pasvik related to the sky observation camera in the State Nature Reserve Pasvik, Rajakoski

In August 2021, a working group from the Polar Geophysical Institute came to install a sky observation camera in the State Nature Reserve Pasvik Information Centre, Rajakoski, within the framework of the international project “Aurora Borealis Monitoring System for the Needs of the Tourism Business” which is being implemented under the Kolarctic CBC Program 2014-2020.

On October 20-21, 2021 the working-group of the project met in Rajakoski to check the camera in operation, to analyze the obtained data, to discuss current issues, short-term and long-term plans of the joint work as well as sustainability of the project results. Moreover, as far as educational activities constitute an important part of the project action plan, two educational events were held in the local school.

Elena Skiotis, the project coordinator from the Polar Geophysical Institute, organized a quiz for the primary school pupils. Taking part in the quiz (that was held in a game-like format) enabled the children to gain new knowledge about such a natural phenomenon as Aurora Borealis.

Alongside with this activity, Boris Kozelov, the director of the Polar Geophysical Institute, made an informative presentation for high school pupils. Together with their teachers, the senior pupils were informed about the sky-observation camera installed in Rajkoski and the possibility of using the data it provides for school research. In the end, the pupils participated in the thematic quiz which helped them to summarize the newly gained knowledge.

The meetings with the schoolchildren were rounded up in a friendly tea-party atmosphere with the final discussion of the major topic – the phenomenon of Aurora Borealis.