“Both Clarkson University and NYSERDA have made great strides in developing and disseminating teaching materials to improve the energy literacy of New York’s school children.  This grant is a natural extension of our current efforts to explore how our dependence on fossil fuels and large-scale agricultural industries have affected our planet.” 

--- Dr. Susan Powers, the principle investigator of the project

Project-Based Global Climate Change Education: 

Teaching & Learning to Develop Climate Literacy in New York State

Investigators from Clarkson University and NYSERDA are teaming on an exciting project funded by NASA to improve climate literacy, particularly in New York State. The project builds on existing strong programs in energy literacy at both institutions. 

The NASA grant received by Clarkson University and NYSERDA to develop climate change curricula for NYS is intended to help teachers and students review actual earth science photos and data and answer their own questions related to various aspects of our climate and how it changes due to both natural and anthropogenic effects.  This very student-centered approach will put the students in the role of the scientist.

They will learn some basic earth science concepts (that are required for their Regents and 8^th grade exams) and put this knowledge to work as they explore what the actual temperature, snow cover, atmospheric composition etc. data are and how they have changed over several decades. The goal is to develop these students’ critical thinking skills and ability to learn how to analyze data for themselves.  These critical thinking skills are essential for climate literate citizens who understand science sufficiently to assess the quality of sometimes biased media reports.

This new project involves the creation and dissemination of new climate change curricular modules that are based on NASA data and models.  The three-tiered approach will impact audiences ranging from middle and high school students to college students to STEM teachers.   

1. College class: A new class, “Global Climate Change:  Science, Engineering, and Policy,” is being developed specifically for engineering students at Clarkson University. 

2. Summer Workshops: Middle school STEM and high school earth and environmental science teachers from across New York will develop project-based learning experiences and lessons that highlight and integrate NASA earth observation system data and models (2010 and 2011). 

3. Teacher Conferences: NYSERDA-sponsored state-wide Climate Change Conference for Teachers, regional workshops, one-day workshops will help disseminate project materials (2012). 

The assessment plan includes metrics for the numbers and types of students and teachers impacted as well as measurement of the change in STEM attitudes and climate literacy.  

This project is funded through a grant from NASA Global Climate Education Project (grant number NNX10AB57A)