|
November |
Share |
|
November |
Share |
|
Our Vision |
Our Mission |
|
|
 |
|
A Guide to the World of M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. This article describes five key concepts to construct an understanding of the M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. program: Multinational Youth Studying Practical Applications of Climatic Events.[1]
M.Y.
S.P.A.C.E. is an initiative of the Satellites & Education
Conference designed for teachers and high school students to work together
both locally as a project team and globally as one large project team,
collaborating among schools. Participants gain practical experience in
research and analysis, with a focus on utilizing Earth-observing satellite
data to explore the nature of climatic events: weather, climate change, land
use, natural catastrophes, air quality, oceans, coastal waters, lakes and
rivers, vegetation patterns, snowpack, freeze-thaw trends, aerosols, urban
islands, and other factors that contribute to deeper understanding of
Earth’s processes. Concept 1. A Remote-Sensing Satellite is an Extension of the Human Senses The marvel of a satellite is often taken for granted today, in a world where we are routinely surrounded by advanced technologies, from smart phones to wireless netbooks. That a satellite housing sophisticated electronics, cameras, computers, and a host of navigation and communications systems can reliably gather years of important data, is nevertheless, a truly amazing feat of human ingenuity. When astronauts are on board, we call it “human exploration of space.” We use terms such as “unmanned” or “robotic” to describe exploration using satellite technologies. But if we think of a satellite as essentially a distant orbiting thing, we miss its deeper significance: that orbiting chunk of metal and electronics is essentially meaningless without the human connection. A satellite is quintessentially
M.Y.
S.P.A.C.E. Teams at the Annual Satellites & Education Conference, 2011
Concept 2. M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. TEAMS EMULATE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING The M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. experience prepares students for the real world of practicing scientists, who conduct collaborative research and share their results at gatherings of the science community at conferences. The annual Satellites & Education Conference is the venue for M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. participants to share significant research results. Early in the school year, M.Y S.P.A.C.E. teams formulate research questions around a central unifying theme. The M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. coordinator (Michael Holst) guides the teams as a lead mentor and catalyst of ideas. Just as the work of a team of scientists is guided by a project manager to meet deadlines and achieve benchmarked goals, so each M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. team is encouraged toward success by an actively involved on-site teacher. The high school students, each with a range of developing capabilities and budding expertise, are coached toward science achievement.
Concept 3. M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. TEAMS ARE GLOBALLY DISTRIBUTED M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. project teams operate all over the world: U.S., China, England. Each year, participating teams respond to an overall unifying theme, to generate a research project in the research and analysis phase, interacting with actual satellite datasets. Not only does each team work on their own year-long project, but they also communicate with each other utilizing online collaboratory methods. They gather for the annual Satellites & Education Conference to share research results and to synthesis ideas into a culminating conference presentation.
Concept 4. The commitment of the M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. Teacher is critical Prior to selection as a M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. team, teachers must understand what it means to act as a project manager, faculty sponsor, mentor, and coach. Prospective teachers must first attend the Conference held on-campus at Cal State L.A. in early August: 1) to experience the range of topics enriched by accessing satellite data; 2) to encounter leading scientists as presenters and as people; 3) to attend education sessions about: how to apply satellite education curriculum; how to inspire project ideas for students; how to apply practical methods to develop student capabilities as budding scientists and engineers; to experience the student project teams at work, as they share project results, take tours of JPL and research labs at Cal State L.A., and shadow college student scientists in research labs.
During the
Conference, teachers are trained to lead M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. teams during the
following school year, with tips on how to help students structure research
projects, as scientists. Teachers are also introduced to the
practical application of software such as ArcGIS, to enable students to
access and manipulate actual satellite data. Teachers are also encouraged to
figure out, at the local level, how to engage practicing scientists as a
project team mentors. Concept 5. M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. PROJECT TEAMS ARE MEMBERS OF THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY One of the aims of the M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. project is to establish a sense of colleagueship within each team and between teams, similar to that which exists among international teams of scientists and engineers. M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. teams operate with a sense of shared responsibility to share ideas, a sense of the importance of research questions, and a sense of the thrill of discovery.
M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. continues to develop science creativity and talent among multinational high school youth, inviting them to participate as collaborative science researchers to probe leading edge questions focused on studying practical application of climatic events. This coming year, the Satellite Educators Association seeks to bring representatives of all M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. teams to celebrate together at the 25th Annual Satellites & Education Conference, August 9-11, 2012. Teachers who wish to start a M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. program in the 2012-2013 school year should plan to attend!
For a pdf version of this column click here _____________________________________________________
Hare and
Tortoise: The Sequel
What’s past is past. That four-word sentence is so very easy to say. Trite, even. But the importance of it is like wind in the sails …without using it, you’re going to stay where you are. At the finish line, Tortoise stretches his nose across and wins. Not by a whisker. Not a photo finish. But by miles. Tortoise is a long shot, for those that bet on him, but he wins handily. Meanwhile, Hare, who should have won the race before Tortoise even crossed the starting line, stopped at granny’s house for milk and cookies, and, feeling the effects, he decides a nap is in order. When Hare awakens, Tortoise has crossed the finished line. Today, the Hare/Tortoise Great Cross Country Race trophy sits on Tortoise’s mantle.
Put yourself in Hare’s shoes for a moment at the exact time when he awakens from his nap, looks at his watch and realizes his opportunity has passed him by. How do you feel? You know at that moment the race is history. The opportunity to win the trophy is passed. It’s down the river, water under the bridge, it’s gone. Not because you weren’t fast enough …you certainly were. Not because you were lost …you certainly weren’t. Not even because Tortoise cheated …he didn’t. It’s history because it happened in the past, the river’s gone by, and you’re not getting it back. Aesop’s moral: “slow and steady wins the race.” Wait, wait, wait! Wait a minute. Really, that is just not the case. If Hare doesn’t stop, he wins! The real turning point is the Hare’s nap. Napping when your competition isn’t will LOSE the race. That’s the real moral. Let’s take this a step further …to the day after the race. Let’s write a sequel to the story. If you were Hare, what would you have done next? I know how I would start the sequel. The next twenty-four hours after losing, Hare kicks himself silly for having taken that nap. The next twenty-four hours, he regathers his wits, and reads “Fumes and a Prayer: How to Live at the Edge and Still Be Home for Dinner.” The next twenty-four hours he takes out his journal and writes out on one page all his strengths and resources, writes out on a second page where he wants to be in one year, and decides to be a winner down the road. And the next twenty-four hours, Hare consults a coach who will give him feedback on his progress during training. The following twenty-four hours, Tortoise finds on his doorstep a challenge from Hare to a rematch the following summer. If you’ve read my book “Fumes and a Prayer: How to Live at the Edge and Still Be Home for Dinner,” you’ll recognize that sequence as Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. It applies to many areas of life including Great Cross Country Races.
One of the lessons from “Hare and Tortoise: The Sequel” is: failure now does
not make you a failure. Everyone fails. It’s those who don’t give up after a
failure that become true champions. I’ll bet you’ve heard that before. Yet,
have you ever given up after a failure? Did a childhood bully get you down?
Did a workplace bully get to you? Did you not get the grade you worked so
hard for? How about the one with less experience who got the promotion over
you? An instrument you wanted to play, but it was hard? A mountain to climb,
but bad weather got you down? How about that Mars rover that’s still stuck in the sand on Mars? What did the Jet Propulsion Lab folks do? They sent another one. Take that, Mars sand! A man I know was very successful in his field, highly accomplished and well paid. Then he slid into an abyss he still hasn’t recovered from. Recently I sat at a table next to him as he recounted some of his rise and fall, and he is still suffering the effects. The road back seems so long to him now. An easy place to give up, right? I gave him what someone had given me years ago, a sentence that changes everything about my attitude toward the future, and an idea that lit this man’s face like a child getting a puppy for Christmas. “Friend, it’s not so important where you are as it is what direction you’re heading in.” There’s both grace and hope in that. He was seeing how far he had to go. But what he needed to see was that he was going in the right direction, and that’s much more important. In “Hare and the Tortoise: The Sequel,” Hare’s recovery from his loss depends on not focusing on his failure to win the race but on his direction for the future. I’ll bet that’s the same for you. What are you struggling with? What’s got you down? Where have you been beaten? Take twenty-four hours to kick yourself silly, but then get out that journal and start making your plans. You’ll be starting off in the right direction. It’s not where you are, it’s what direction you’re going. That makes all the difference. And by the way, we’ll be at the finish line rooting you on! Click here to download a pdf version of this column.
______________________________________________________________
Bangladesh, India vulnerable to climate change A new global ranking of climate change finds most Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Vietnam and Pakistan will face the greatest risks to their populations, ecosystems and business environments. The index rates 16 countries as "extreme risk," including nations that represent new Asian economic power and possess significant forecasts of growth. The highest risk categories are major contributors to the ongoing global economic recovery and are vital to the future expansion of Western businesses in particular, which worries environmentalists. The new Climate Change Vulnerability Index released by global risks advisory firm Maplecroft recently enables organizations to identify areas of risk within their operations, supply chains and investments. According to Maplecroft, the countries with the most risk are characterized by high levels of poverty, dense populations, exposure to climate-related events; and their reliance on flood- and drought-prone agricultural land. The principal environmental analyst at Maplecroft, Dr Matthew Bunce, said that over the next 30 years the countries' vulnerability to climate change will rise due to increases in air temperature, precipitation and humidity. Maplecroft rates Bangladesh as the most at risk due to extreme levels of poverty and a high dependency on agriculture, while its government has the lowest capacity of all countries to adapt to predicted changes in the climate. In addition, Bangladesh has a high risk of drought and the highest risk of flooding. This was illustrated in October 2010, when 500,000 people were driven from their homes by flood waters created by storms. However, despite the country’s plethora of problems, the Bangladesh economy grew 88 percent between 2000 and 2008 and is forecast by the IMF to grow \up to 6.2 percent over the next five years. ______________________________________________________________
Raytheon announces $1M for teacher training in science,
math Raytheon Co. is committing $1 million for teacher scholarships as part of the Museum of Science’s Engineering Is Elementary program. William Swanson, the Waltham company’s chairman and CEO, announced the new Raytheon-EiE Teacher Scholarship Program during a keynote speech at a Massachusetts STEM Summit event in Newton. Provided through a gift to the Boston museum as part of Raytheon’s MathMovesU initiative, the funding will give elementary school teachers access to EiE training and course materials to implement the program’s engineering curriculum, which integrates the basic concepts and skills of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It will focus on teachers in inner-city, rural and disadvantaged areas, providing $200,000 in scholarships each year for the next five years. “STEM is the foundation of innovation in this era of global competitiveness,” Swanson said. “It is critically important for the U.S. to have a strong STEM pipeline so our nation can continue to be a leader in innovation.” Raytheon previously announced a $1 million sponsorship of the Museum of Science’s EiE program earlier this month to fund the expansion of EiE training hubs outside of Boston by establishing professional development centers for teachers in Washington, D.C., Phoenix and Huntsville, Ala. ______________________________________________________________
U.S.
dealt another La Niña winter but ‘wild card’ could trump it The Southern Plains should prepare for continued drier and warmer than average weather, while the Pacific Northwest is likely to be colder and wetter than average from December through February, according to the annual Winter Outlook released today by NOAA. For the second winter in a row, La Niña will influence weather patterns across the country, but as usual, it’s not the only climate factor at play. The ‘wild card’ is the lesser-known and less predictable Arctic Oscillation that could produce dramatic short-term swings in temperatures this winter. NOAA expects La Niña, which returned in August, to gradually strengthen and continue through the upcoming winter. It is associated with cooler than normal water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and influences weather throughout the world. “The evolving La Niña will shape this winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “There is a wild card, though. The erratic Arctic Oscillation can generate strong shifts in the climate patterns that could overwhelm or amplify La Niña’s typical impacts.” The Arctic Oscillation is always present and fluctuates
between positive and negative phases. The negative phase of the Arctic
Oscillation pushes cold air into the U.S. from Canada. The Arctic
Oscillation went strongly negative at times the last two winters, causing
outbreaks of cold and snowy conditions in the U.S. such as the
“Snowmaggedon” storm of 2009. Strong Arctic Oscillation episodes typically
last a few weeks and are difficult to predict more than one to two weeks in
advance.
With La Niña in place Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and parts of surrounding states are unlikely to get enough rain to alleviate the ongoing drought. Texas, the epicenter of the drought, experienced its driest 12-month period on record from October 2010 through September 2011. Stormy periods can occur anytime during the winter season. To improve the ability to predict and track winter storms, NOAA implemented a more accurate weather forecast model on Oct.18. Data gathered from the model will support local weather forecast office efforts to prepare for and protect the public from weather events. This service is helping the country to become a Weather-Ready Nation at a time when extreme weather is on the rise. According to the U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February) odds tilt in favor of:
This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.
Back to top
______________________________________________________________
|
|
The Satellite Educators Association believes that educators should be well informed on issues, including those opinions and studies that do not necessarily follow the mainstream scientific views. With that in mind, a variety of positions are given in this newsletter. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the opinions of the majority of the members in the Satellite Educators Association, but they show divergence of thought.
Science profession lacks Latinos, Native Americans Where are the Latinos and Native Americans in science? On paper, they hardly exist statistically. But anyone walking or driving through downtown San Jose this week will see about 3,600 Hispanic and American Indian lab rats, nerds and geeks crossing the streets from hotels to convene at the McEnery Convention Center. The Society for the Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, or SACNAS, was born almost four decades ago to break down barriers and increase their numbers in the so-called STEM fields -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Aside from brainy speeches, research presentations, workshops and mentoring, a highlight of the four-day conference figures to be the closing pow wow. Imagine, biologists and physicists stepping to some of the oldest, spiritual dances in the world. "As you can see, we'll have a lot going on," said Judit Camacho, SACNAS executive director. A mathematician and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Camacho lives in Santa Cruz. She will wear a traditional, Native American shawl for the pow wow's grand entry. "It's an activity that makes us unique," Camacho said. SACNAS isn't the only group trying to increase the number of minorities in science. The Society of Hispanic Engineers has been at it for years. So have several black and Asian associations. But SACNAS is unique for its twin-billing of Chicanos and American Indians, whose political movements in the 1970s often played out in the same territory and with similar goals: a rebirth of cultural identity and pride in their Indian roots, political equality and social justice. "The founders certainly recognized a kinship and shared histories between Chicanos and Native peoples," Camacho said. The original idea for SACNAS popped up when a handful of Mexican-American and Native-American scientists found themselves in the same elevator at a general conference in 1972 in Albuquerque, N.M. One of them joked that their scientific brain trusts would be wiped out if the elevator crashed and suggested a mutual association to increase their numbers. The jokester exaggerated, but not by much. In 1975, about 15,500 doctoral degrees in science and engineering were awarded to white Americans. Hispanics received only 151 and Native Americans a minuscule 13. Three years later, in 1978, the elevator riders attracted 225 to their inaugural conference in the basement of a Holiday Inn in Albuquerque. The group grew slowly over the next decade, ran out of money once, but gained steam in the 1990s under the leadership of John Alderete, a microbiologist who emphasized tapping into the vast well of federal funding for scientific research and community outreach. The organization today has two offices, in Santa Cruz and Washington, D.C,, and revenues of $4.2 million in 2010, about half in federal grants. One of the group's board members, biologist Kristine Garza, said SACNAS became her second "home." She was a graduate student at the University of Virginia in the 1990s, feeling isolated in the all-white department and awkward in her old neighborhood in El Paso, Texas, where white and science were synonymous. "I was too brown in Virginia and too white when I went back home," she said. "SACNAS was the place I began to call home because I could be both." She now teaches biology at the University of Texas at El Paso. The conference is open to students and scientists of any race or ethnicity, but the group's everyday work remains concentrated on Latinos and Native Americans. SACNAS and other groups say the results of their recruiting are encouraging but still fall far short of making the face of science look like the country. Only 7 percent of all undergraduate degrees in science and engineering awarded in 2008 to U.S. citizens or permanent residents went to Latinos, and only 0.6 percent to Native Americans. The problem, Camacho said, is the sorry state of science education in American public schools, especially those in poorer Latino and Native areas. Study after study has charted the failure to keep up in science and math education with Japan, Germany and other industrialized nations. A Bay Area study, reported in Tuesday's Mercury News, revealed that science instruction has been pushed down the priority list as California schools scramble to meet reading and math goals. "That's our biggest challenge," Camacho said. The group is giving 400 San Jose high school students, most of them minorities, free admission to the conference. More than 300 exhibitors, from graduate schools to government agencies, will have booths and recruiters at the conference, which is open to the public but requires a registration fee. However, admission to the exhibit hall will be free 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The closing pow wow Saturday night is also open and free. Featured speakers include John Bennett Herrington, the first American Indian astronaut, and Richard Tapia, a mathematician and SACNAS founder. President Obama recently awarded Tapia a National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor for scientists and mathematicians. ______________________________________________________________ The Satellite Educators Association believes that educators should be well informed on issues, including those opinions and studies that do not necessarily follow the mainstream scientific views. With that in mind, a variety of positions are given in this newsletter. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the opinions of the majority of the members in the Satellite Educators Association, but they show divergence of thought.
Global warning: climate skeptics are winning the battle Climate sceptics are winning the argument with the public over global warming, the world's most celebrated climate scientist, James Hansen of NASA, said in London yesterday. It is happening even though climate science itself is becoming ever clearer in showing that the earth is in increasing danger from rising temperatures, said Dr Hansen, who heads NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, and is widely thought of as "the father of global warming" – his dramatic alert about climate change in US Senate hearings in July 1988 put the issue on the world agenda. Since then he has been one of the most outspoken advocates of drastic climate action, and yesterday he also publicly criticized Germany's recent decision to abandon its new nuclear power program, formerly a key part of German climate measures, in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan earlier this year. "I think it was a big mistake," he said. "And I think the Prime Minister [German Chancellor Angela Merkel] knows that, as she's a physicist, but I think the political reality is she couldn't stay in office if she expressed that opinion." In a briefing at the Royal Society , Dr Hansen, pictured, was frank about the success with public opinion of what he termed "the climate contrarians", in effectively lessening public concern about global warming. He said: "They have been winning the argument for several years, even though the science has become clearer. "There's been a very strong campaign by those who want to continue fossil fuel 'business as usual', and the scientific story has not been powerful enough to offset that push." Part of the problem, he said, was that the climate skeptic lobby employed communications professionals, whereas "scientists are just barely competent at communicating with the public and don't have the wherewithal to do it." The result was, he said, that in recent years "a gap has opened between what is understood about global warming by the relevant scientific community, and what's known by the people who need to know – and that's the public. However there's nothing that has happened to reduce our scientific conclusion that we are pushing the system into very dangerous territory, in fact that conclusion has become stronger over that same time period." Asked if anything might re-alert the public to the dangers of climate change, Dr Hansen said: "Mother Nature." Significant climatic "extreme events" were now occurring over 10 to 15 per cent of the planet annually, whereas between 1950 to 1980 they occurred over less than 1 per cent. He added: "So in places like Texas this year, Moscow last year, and Europe in 2003, the climate change is so big that they are undeniable. Within 10 to 15 years they're going to occur over 15 to 20 per cent of the planet, so people have to notice that the climate is changing." Burning issue: Hansen's evidence that the world is heating up Texas, summer 2011 The US state this year has had its driest summer since record-keeping began in 1895, with 75 per cent of the state classified as "exceptional drought", the worst level. Shortages of grass, hay and water have forced ranchers to thin their herds – where this cow died, in the San Angelo area, there has been less than three inches of rain. Moscow, August 2010 Russia experienced its hottest-ever summer last year – for weeks, a large portion of European Russia was more than 7 °C (12.6 °F) warmer than normal, and a new national record was set of 44 °C (111 °F). Raging forest fires filled Moscow with smoke, forcing the cancellation of air services and obliging people to don face masks. Northern Europe, 2003 Shrivelled French grapes at the end of Europe's hottest summer on record, in 2003. The heatwave led to health crises in several countries and more than 40,000 people are thought to have died. Britain experienced its first (and so far only) 100+ F air temperature – 101.3°F (38.5°C) recorded at Brogdale, Kent, on 10 August. ______________________________________________________________ Arctic Sea Ice Continues Decline, Hits 2nd-Lowest Level Last month the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to the second-lowest extent on record. Satellite data from NASA and the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado in Boulder showed that the summertime sea ice cover narrowly avoided a new record low.
The Arctic ice cap grows each winter as the sun sets for several months and
shrinks each summer as the sun rises higher in the northern sky. Each year
the Arctic sea ice reaches its annual minimum extent in September. It hit a
record low in 2007.
While the sea ice extent did not dip below the 2007 record, the sea ice area as
measured by the microwave radiometer on NASA's Aqua satellite did drop slightly
lower than 2007 levels for about 10 days in early September, Comiso said. Sea
ice "area" differs from extent in that it equals the actual surface area covered
by ice, while extent includes any area where ice covers at least 15 percent of
the ocean.
NASA monitors and studies changing sea ice conditions in both the Arctic and Antarctic with a variety of spaceborne and airborne research capabilities. This month NASA resumes Operation IceBridge, a multi-year series of flights over sea ice and ice sheets at both poles. This fall's campaign will be based out of Punta Arenas, Chile, and make flights over Antarctica. NASA also continues work toward launching ICESat-2 in 2016, which will continue its predecessor's crucial laser altimetry observations of ice cover from space ______________________________________________________________ NOAA awards nearly $1 million to University of Miami for coral investigation
Pulley Ridge, a relatively healthy coral ecosystem off the southwest coast of Florida, is home to important commercial and recreational fisheries such as grouper and snapper. With the well-documented decline of Florida’s reefs, areas like Pulley Ridge may serve as sources of larvae that can help sustain the Florida Keys’ reef ecosystem and the tourism economy that depends on it. With more of this type of information, resource managers will be better positioned to develop more effective strategies to protect these reefs. "We’re trying to understand not only whether these ecosystems have resources in common, but also the mechanisms of connectivity between them," said Daniel J. Basta, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. "This will give managers information they need to protect reef ecosystems, as well as critical underwater corridors that help replenish Florida’s reefs." The $998,703 grant is for the first year of the 5-year project led by the University of Miami, and represents a collaboration of more than 30 scientists at ten different universities pooling their expertise with state and federal agency scientists through NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami in coordination with the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology at Florida Atlantic University. ______________________________________________________________ NASA Continues Critical Survey Of Antarctica's Changing Ice
_________________________________________________________________
M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. Photos from the conference posted.
Be a M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. Teacher _________________________________________________________________
STEM Legislation Part of Senate Bill to Overhaul No Child Left Behind As expected, Senate leaders last week released the draft of a massive bill to revise and reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. The ESEA draft includes Senator Merkley’s bill (introduced October 6) to improve STEM education. It is anticipated that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will begin consideration of ESEA sometime this week. Read more about ESEA and STEM, and how you can help support this effort in the Senate, in this issue of the NSTA Legislative Update ___________________________________________________________
The Forester
For Tami Sabol, the forest is her office. As a Forester for
Plum Creek Timber Company, she is responsible for the health of hundreds of
thousands of acres of trees. Using math and science is a routine part of her
work. Problem Solving Activity:
Timber Cruise Hands-On Math / Problem Solving Activity:
The Forest and the Trees To view movie click here
______________________________________________________________ New regional climate science collaborations announced in Alaska, California/Nevada, and the Carolinas NOAA today announced
three new Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) awards,
totaling $11 million over five years, to climate science collaborations in
Alaska, California/Nevada, and the Carolinas. Funds for years two through
five are subject to the availability of annual appropriation. “These projects will help build national and regional capacity to understand and minimize the risks associated with a variable and changing climate,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “RISA enables the interdisciplinary research needed to tackle big challenges such as impacts to water, food, infrastructure, and ecosystems. The program strengthens NOAA’s climate efforts by bringing science and service communities together.” The three new awards include the Alaska Center for Climate Assessments and Policy (ACCAP – University of Alaska-Fairbanks), the California-Nevada Applications Program (CNAP- Scripps Institution of Oceanography), and the Carolinas Integrated Science and Assessments program (CISA – University of South Carolina). All three institutions will conduct research efforts collaboratively with other universities and research organizations. Scientific expertise is coupled with the ability to work collaboratively with those responsible for managing resources and communities at local, state and regional levels. As such, RISA projects work with many of NOAA’s stakeholders including water utilities, state and local governments, land and wildlife managers, land and sea grant extension services, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. All three teams will address issues expressed by regional decision makers. The Alaska center will focus on coastal and living marine resources with potential topics including sea ice extent and the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure to storms. California-Nevada will address water supply, planning and preparedness for wildfires, and coastal management. The Carolinas project addresses early warning and preparedness for drought, groundwater vulnerability to saltwater intrusion, and shellfish pathogens. The teams will support dialogue between scientists and decision makers
through which social scientists and outreach experts can evaluate the use of
climate information.
RISA teams, along with NOAA's Regional Climate Centers and regional climate services directors, work with state climate offices to help regional stakeholders address the challenges of a changing climate. RISA team members are also key contributors to research and assessment activities of the cross-federal agency National Climate Assessment overseen by the United States Global Change Research Program. Through the national assessment, RISA teams help NOAA expand and enhance interagency partnerships at the regional level. For example, many regional assessment teams have strong connections to, and in some cases are co-located with, new federal initiatives such as the Department of Interior’s Climate Science Centers and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives. These three new partnerships join eight ongoing RISAs:
______________________________________________________________
____________________________ |
NOAA’s
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science has awarded $998,703 to the
University of Miami to investigate how the deep coral reefs of Pulley Ridge may
replenish key fish species and other organisms in the downstream reefs of the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Tortugas Ecological Preserve. 
Scientists
with NASA's Operation IceBridge airborne research campaign began the
mission's third year of surveys this week over the changing ice of
Antarctica. 
