Description: Since its first field season (2006–2007), the ANDRILL (Antarctic Geological Drilling) program has implemented an innovative educational and public outreach (EPO) program known as ARISE (ANDRILL Research Immersion for Science Educators), which has actively involved a group of selected educators in every phase of the research, from participation in field activities to discussion of the scientific results. This method of research immersion has led to an impressive list of achievements, including the development of quality outreach initiatives and diverse educational materials, the involvement of a large number of schools using these resources, the creation of an international network of strongly motivated polar geoscience educators, and the realization of new and unexpected professional opportunities for educators. In Italy this program initiated a specific project (progettosmilla.it), in accordance with the objectives of the ARISE Program. Thanks to the use of both a wide range of instruments (online and material) and the network of personal relationships provided by teachers involved in the program, ARISE has resulted in many short-term accomplishments. The development of new partnerships with local and national institutions has led to a number of middle- and long-term processes, rarely seen in similar EPO projects, resulting in the attainment of other goals. Research immersion experiences promote close interactions between teachers and scientists, and provide the potential for accomplishing other long-term educational outcomes. The shared development of educational resources by scientists and educators through ARISE has created an opportunity to advance scientific education within schools and, through outreach, in the general populace.

Description: Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate changes that occurred during the late postevaporitic stage of the Mediterranean Basin in the Messinian foreland domain of the Adriatic region offer a new perspective on the relationship between orbital forcing and climate response. The magnetic susceptibility record of the Fonte dei Pulcini A section (Maiella Mountains, Italy) allows us to orbitally tune the record between 5.394 and 5.336 Ma and to temporally constrain the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate changes evidenced by quantitative paleontological (palynomorphs, ostracods, and calcareous nannofossils), stable isotope (d18O and d13C), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The base of the Fonte dei Pulcini A section is characterized by Paratethyan ostracods and dinocysts, which point to the late Messinian Lago-Mare biofacies (Loxocorniculina djafarovi zone) of the Mediterranean Messinian stratigraphy. From paleontological and geochemical (d18O) analyses, there is no evidence of a marine incursion in the Fonte dei Pulcini A section. The major changes in terms of paleodepth, paleosalinity, evaporation versus precipitation, aridity versus humidity, and reworking processes occurred in the upper part of the Fonte dei Pulcini A section, during the last Messinian insolation cycle (i-cycle 511/512), which is characterized by high-amplitude oscillations. In contrast, the lower part of the Fonte dei Pulcini A section, which was deposited during relatively low-amplitude insolation cycles, is characterized by more stable environmental conditions. Comparing summer insolation with the paleoenvironmental changes at the Fonte dei Pulcini A section, we identify delays of several thousands of years between orbital forcing and climate response.