"Recipient of a BAFTA interactive learning award last year, Antarctic Waves is a unique musical toolkit that harnesses science to propel tuneful creativity. After taking an interactive tour of the sights and sounds of the most inhospitable continent, students can manipulate British Antarctic Survey data in a series of audiovisual scenarios to craft their own compositions: sonar pings against the ocean floor can be organised into rhythmic patters; the pitch of the gurgling ice floes can be harmonised as if on a keyboard."

Schoolchildren can now make cool music - about the Antarctic.
Polar researchers have collaborated with artists and designers to produce a CD-Rom that allows kids to investigate the science of the White Continent whilst at the same time experiment with sound. It has taken the British Antarctic Survey (Bas) and the multimedia arts company Braunarts two years to put the software tools together. "We have digitised the sights and sounds of this fantastic place so children can make music as they learn the science," said Braunarts director Terry Braun.

"I don't expect music students to suddenly go into mainstream science education, but if they can be introduced at an early stage to the excitement of Antarctic research - we'd be really pleased with that." said Linda Capper, from British Antarctic Survey.