Polar STEAM

A custom WordPress website for an NSF-funded STEAM education initiative connecting K–12 educators with polar scientists and Antarctic artists.

01 — The Client

Polar science and the arts, brought into the classroom.

polarsteam.info

Polar STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, is an NSF-funded project that integrates and enhances two long-standing U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) programs: the Polar Educators program and the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and facilitates virtual and deployment collaborations with scientists conducting research in the polar regions.

02 — The Solution

What we built together.

01

Website Design

For Polar STEAM, we crafted a digital home as multifaceted as the NSF-funded initiative itself—equal parts gallery, research, and classroom. The custom design layers sweeping polar imagery with crisp typography to immerse visitors in the science and artistry of the world’s coldest region, while a playful color system nods to auroras and sea-ice gradients. Behind the scenes, a modular content framework lets researchers post resources, artists showcase their work, and educators upload ready-to-teach lesson plans—all tagged and filterable so visitors can explore content by subject or topic. The result is a vibrant, easy-to-navigate platform that unites creativity, research, and education—advancing Polar STEAM’s mission to reach new audiences and better engage the next generation of researchers and science learners.

02

Logo Design & Branding

The Polar STEAM logo marries the rigor of science with the wonder of the polar regions. The mark begins with a stylized snow-crystal made of four angular “arms” that radiate from a bright, triangular core. Each arm carries a circle at its tip, turning a simple ice shard into an emblem of four collaborators reaching outward: educators, artists, scientists, and the broader community. The gradient that sweeps from deep midnight blue through arctic cyan mirrors the journey from dark polar winters to sunlit summers, while hinting at the full spectrum of STEAM disciplines.

To the right, a clean word-pair—“Polar STEAM”—is set in a confident navy sans-serif, communicating scientific rigor. The tagline “Education. Art. Science.” appears below in vivid glacier blue, reinforcing the project’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning and creative inquiry.

03 — The Work

A site as expansive as the polar regions it explores.

Visit live site
01 Home — program overview, educator resources, and polar scientist collaborations

Let’s talk

Interested in working together on your next project?

Send us some project details. We’ll get back to you with an estimate and schedule a time to meet.

Abide Web Design Logo
Since 2012, we’ve been helping community-driven organizations and businesses make their impact by delivering beautifully functional websites and compelling design.
Corvallis, Oregon