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Environmental Literacy
- Web-based environmental learning modules for school children
- Environmental curricular improvement program
- Environment across the curriculum
- Electronic data manipulation and visualization tools
- Geographic Information Systems
Student Projects
Environmental Literacy
Web-Based Environmental Learning Modules for School Children
Bodzin, Anastasio, Sahagian
Environmental Curricular Improvement Program
Bodzin
Environment Across the Curriculum
Sahagian
As concern grows about our environment at all scales, and our knowledge base regarding causes, effects, and the myriad societal impacts of environmental changes becomes both more comprehensive and more reliable, it behooves the academic community to provide as many students as possible with a basic understanding (or at least awareness) of the most pressing environmental issues that are facing society at present, and that will become more serious issues in their lifetimes. The traditional approach at the university level for this sort of thing is to offer or even require a survey course. Taking this approach for the environment, however, could impinge upon existing curricula, and would make the environment appear to be a separate issue or topic that one learns about, and then goes back to normal life in other, "regular" courses. A more productive approach to helping students to grasp the relevance of environmental issues in all facets of life (before and after graduation) may be to include environmental aspects in ALL courses taught, without separating the environment into its own disciplinary cubbyhole. This would enable students to relate what they learn in class in terms of environmental impact of commerce and industry, appreciation of normative values related to the environment, financial aspects of ecosystem goods and services, communication, pedagogy, writing, ethics, business & finance, technology, and the myriad arts, sciences, business, education, and engineering disciplines. For example, a sociology class can explore the cultural links of different societies to their natural environment. A math class can use an environmental example such as an biomass or energy flux or climate statistics. A business class can use a "green builder" as a business example. A chemical engineering class can consider biogeochemical reactions in problem sets. Since the natural environment surrounds all human activity, it is easy to find ways to incorporate it into our classes.
Electronic Data Manipulation and Visualization Tools
Sahagian, Munson
A great deal of time, effort and resources have been expended on environmental research with regard to climate and global change, resulting in copious quantities of data being generated internationally. This has led to an increasing need for international data management and visualization solutions. Paradigms are springing up in numerous institutions, but the distribution and support for these efforts are generally limited, their use constrained by lack of data accessibility and interoperability. The public and educational communities, and to some extent even the broader research community, are left without access to reliable data and information regarding the Earth system, reducing the value of the considerable resources expended each year on data collection. To fill the need for a convenient and accessible facility that will prove useful to both researchers and to the broader community, we are formulating an "Earth System Atlas" (ESA, http://earthsystematlas.org), an on-line enabling tool providing global access to Earth system and global change information for researchers, policy-makers, school children and the general public. The ESA is far more than a collection of pre-made maps posted on the Internet, as its name might imply. Rather, it is an interactive system allowing data sets to be visualized, manipulated, and even combined, all via a web browser. The ESA suite of tools can generate maps on the fly, while performing superposition, comparison and assessment of any number of maps and underlying data sets. To ensure the integrity of the ESA, all data sets submitted to, or solicited by, the ESA will undergo peer-review through an editorial process akin to that of a topical journal. The technical tools built into the ESA can also be used for local and regional studies of communities for a variety of purposes. Regional social data can be incorporated, manipulated and displayed so that local and regional planners can assess trends, norms, and contrasting perceptions of peoples' role in the natural and built environment.