Tomorrow, the Ballard Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and Consul of Norway, will be presenting speakers from Norway's Thor Heyerdahl Institute to talk about climate research and polar expeditions.

The visiting lecture series will feature accliamed researcher Willy Østreng and renowned polar explorer Liv Arnesen.

Liv Arneses:

In 1994, Liv Arnesen made international headlines by becoming the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole — a 50-day expedition of 745 miles (1,200 km)

Two years later, in 1996, Arnesen climbed the north side of Mount Everest, getting to within 6,200 ft. (1,900 m) of the summit before altitude sickness forced her to descend.

And in February, 2001, Arnesen and American polar explorer Ann Bancroft become the first women in history to sail and ski across Antarctica’s landmass — completing a 94-day, 1,717-mile (2,747 km) trek.

Willy Østreng:

Willy Østreng, senior researcher and chairman of the research institute Ocean Futures in Oslo and affiliated faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has published more than 250 scientific works, among them 25 books, on polar affairs and international security, ocean resource management, polar and ocean policy and on the preconditions of interdisciplinary research.

Presently, he is vice-president of the Norwegian Academy of Polar Research but has held many positions over the years including scientific director/professor at the Centre for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters, director of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute Norway, adjunct professor of political science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, visiting senior fellow to the Harvard University and the University of California Berkeley, as well as serving as special advisor to the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1998-99, and is a member of numerous scientific boards, national and international.

The event is free and Tuesday just happens to be the 75th birthday of the King of Norway, so the Norwegian consulet all will be on hand, and birthday cake and coffee will be served.

The lecture series will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. in Conference Rooms ABC on the first floor at Swedish/Ballard, 5300 Tallman Avenue Northwest.