Innovations:
CSRES takes as its science and education focus the sun/Earth/atmosphere interactions
responsible for maintaining Earth's radiative balance. This is a good choice for innovative
approaches to climate science education because it is common knowledge
that these interactions are poorly understood. CSRES uses a combination
of NASA climate data and inexpensive monitoring instruments and experiment protocols
that allow educators and their students to conduct many useful and interesting
investigations that will provide the "data ownership" required to understand this
complex but essential topic, and that can form the basis for high-level climate-related student
research projects. These measurements include solar energy reaching Earth's
surface, surface reflectivity, aerosol optical thickness, total column water vapor,
surface thermal emissions, and sky photography.
Distinguishing features:
CSRES will present its program at Queens College CUNY through a series of professional
development workshops for secondary school science teachers in New York City and other nearby
school districts whose
responsibilities include supporting the development of student science fair projects
that will be highly competitive in local, regional, and national science competitions.
Participation by NASA’s Aerospace Education Services Project (AESP) will significantly
raise the profile of climate science among secondary school students around the country
and will help CSRES become a sustainable project.
Anticipated outcomes:
Educators participating in CSRES will demonstrate an increased confidence in their own "hands-on"
research capabilities and their ability to use NASA and other climate data in their classrooms.
Students will be more likely to undertake climate-related science fair projects and more
likely to consider pursuing careers in climate science. Mentors working during the project
will form the nucleus of a sustainable support structure for promoting student climate
science and better teaching of climate science in the classroom.
Management:
CSRES is managed by the Institute for Earth Science Research and Education under the
direction of PI David Brooks, PhD. Co-Pi Peter Schmidt participates through a
subcontract with Queens College CUNY. NASA's AESP program will support participation
of four AESP educators. Other collaborators include the Iowa Academy of Science
and an ongoing GCCE project at Drexel University.