Hampton University's Center for Atmospheric Sciences is partnering with the University of Wisconsin (UW) and The National Maritime Center (TNMC) to develop and implement a strong environmental literacy and science education program that promotes NOAA’s Science on a Sphere (SOS).
This program will use the SOS as a focal point to support learning about global oceanic and atmospheric circulations and their effect on local environments. Topics presented include:
- environmental events that are making the news, and
- real time global displays of environmental phenomena from the expansive UW environmental satellite database.
Supporting computer visualization systems will allow viewers to move from global scale to regional and local scale in order to examine specific features of the phenomena being visualized. Thus, the program will create a rich data environment by integrating high spatial and temporal resolution visualizations of environmental phenomena to complement the global visualizations provided by the SOS.
User-driven interactive displays (e.g. kiosks) will allow visitors to learn about the physical processes producing the phenomena they see on the SOS and supporting systems, and then explore and understand them in greater detail. For example, the SOS display of a hurricane tracking across the Atlantic Ocean will be complimented with high resolution displays of the storm as it nears the U.S. East Coast.
Viewers will be able to:
- interactively investigate the storm using NOAA data,
- learn about the causes of hurricanes, and
- answer questions to test their understanding.
Educators and scientists will collaborate to develop an online Problem-Based Learning (PBL) module on hurricanes to support classroom activities. To evaluate and improve these materials, the partners will provide field trips and docents to TNMC, including HU and UW graduate students.
Additional outreach efforts include:
- A national CALIPSO teacher workshop visited the SOS during the summer of 2006.
- An SOS seminar is planned for public school science supervisors during the spring of 2006.
- SOS field trip experiences are being planned and conducted for middle school students in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
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