Stars and STEM Stories
Michigan Summit Prepares Teachers for Climate Research Project
A NASA-sponsored Climate Change Summit was held in Wayne, Michigan on 24 August 2010 to introduce Climate Change and Remote Sensing topics to the Wayne County community and invite teachers to participate in the Investing Climate Change and Remote Sensing (ICCARS) Project. ICCARS is a NASA-funded STEM education program for grade 8-12 teachers and students aimed at providing a working understanding of the science behind global climate change and its relationship to human activity, in particular, its relationship to land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes on multiple scales through NASA data products and models. Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency (Wayne RESA) and the Institute for Geospatial Research and Education (IGRE) at Eastern Michigan University plan to collaborate on additional efforts as the project develops.
Dr. Donna Charlevoix, GLOBE Director of the Science and Education Division provided the morning keynote, including an overview of GLOBE, climate science, and goals for elevated student involvement in climate research. She commends the work at Wayne RESA, asserting "The ICCARS Project is the perfect example of local projects focused on climate that will feed into the GLOBE climate research and investigations." Dr. Yichun Xie, CEITA Director and GIS Professor at Eastern Michigan University, held a breakout session detailing the application of remote sensing in studying global climate and ecosystem evolution. A concurrent session was held by Jim Fitzgerald, NASA Aerospace Education Specialist and GLOBE U.S. Partner from Ohio, explaining how Landsat data is applicable to climate research. The afternoon keynote about NASA's Airborne Science Program was delivered by NASA Aerospace Engineer Geoff Bland. Jennifer Porter, Wayne State University, added an overview of the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education (MGREE) and Andy Henry wrapped things up with the details and aspirations of the ICCARS Project.
Anticipated Results of the ICCARS program are:
- Students and teachers will learn how remotely sensed data can be used to study the phenomena of global climate change at local, regional, and global levels. In addition, they will be able to acquire remotely sensed data and produce meaningful information from vegetation index, biomass and LULC change over time.
- Students and teachers will learn how to collect and process a remotely sensed, four band image using the NASA AEROKATS kite based TwinCam-AeroPod sensor. They will utilize appropriate social networking tools and desktop video conferencing to collaborate, share information and build a support community.
- Students will demonstrate proficiency in applicable Michigan curriculum content expectations and standards in earth science, biology, physics, and mathematics.
- Teachers will understand the fundamental concepts of Project Based Learning (PBL) and be able to design an instructional unit using a PBL methodology grounded in inquiry- and student-led investigations.
The Wayne County Mathematics and Science Center at Wayne RESA joined GLOBE on 18 December 1998. During that time, the Center has hosted 26 training workshops. David Bydlowski, Wayne RESA Science Consultant and U.S. Partnership Coordinator, states "We look forward to a long relationship with GLOBE and are excited to pursue the ICCARS Project, offer Elementary GLOBE workshops, and additional GLOBE training, as needed." In addition to being a GLOBE Trainer, Bydlowski directs the NASA ICCARS grant at Wayne RESA along with Andy Henry. He also puts a modern spin on science education with his K-12 Science Education Podcasts. Bydlowski creates timely podcasts on science--inquiry, content, curriculum, leadership, curriculum involvement, eResources, professional development and more. Passionate about science education, he documents the many facets of his work through his website and invites all viewers to subscribe to his podcasts.
The Wayne RESA Partnership would like to thank all of the speakers who contributed to the event including Geoff Bland, Dr. Donna Charlevoix, Jim Fitzgerald, Jennifer Porter, Dwight Sieggreen, and Dr. Yichun Xie. Additional thanks to Wayne RESA's Superintendent Chris Wigent and Assistant Superintendent Kevin Magin for introducing the keynote speakers. Many people helped to make this event successful, including Brenda Hose, Nanci Mitchell, Wayne RESA Building Services and Wayne RESA's Television Production Staff.
See Climate Change Summit Speaker Presentations.
Listen to David Bydlowski's interview with Dr. Donna Charlevoix after the summit, and other podcasts about hands-on science activities.
Stay tuned to the GLOBE website for details about the upcoming Student Climate Research Campaign!
10 November 2010