teaching climate science discernment to undergraduate students sherry d. oaks, ph.d. front range...

Teaching Climate Science Discernment to Undergraduate Students

SHERRY D. OAKS, Ph.D.

FRONT RANGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

EARTH EDUCATOR RENDEZVOUS

BOULDER, COLORADO

16 JULY 2015

Real and Virtual Field TripsDownloadable 3-D contentUpdated data sets

NOAA Science on a SphereFiske PlanetariumUniversity of Colorado at Boulder

Real and Virtual Field Trips

NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecasting Office (WFO, top)

o Robert Glancy, WFO Warning Coordinating Meteorologist Cooperative Climate Weather Station with National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR, right)

o Matt Kelsh, Hydrometeorlogist, NCAR-COMET

Real and Virtual Field TripsOnline access to real-time data from National Weather Service and NASANOAA NWS: www.weather.gov

NASA: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

Real-Time Imagery and Datawww.weather.gov

NCAR RAL:http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/

Visits to local broadcast weather stations:Marty Coniglio, Meteorologist, KUSA Weather Mike Nelson, Chief Meteorologist, KMGH Weather

Direct students to high quality blog sites

o Data rich o Neutral content

o No/minimal political biaso Civil discussion of multiple data interpretations

Weather Underground: www.wunderground.com

Real Climate:http://realclimate.org/

Climate Central:http://climatecentral.org/news

ENSO blog: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/department/8443/all

High quality blogs have:

o Various bloggers on siteo Diverse viewpoints

o Respected researcherso Experienced analystso Credibility within

scientific community

Help with discernment

Students may have concerns about a blog because:o Some blogs may contain

controversial interpretations of data

o Subtle or unconscious biaso Deliberate biaso Lack of collegiality

Citizen Science opportunities

CoCoRaHS:http://www.cocorahs.org/

Old Weather: http://www.oldweather.org/

Discernment with climate science

Engage students with field experienceso Cloud watchingo Storm chasingo Geological evidence

o Pictured: Ash fall from Yellowstone eruption in arkosic sandstone at NCAR (Boulder, CO)

Analyze observed and virtual data thoughtfullyo Field data o Satellite datao Journal articleso Blog posts

o Assess quality and expertiseo Controversial interpretations of data

Participate in Citizen Science

Questions? Comments?

Contact me at:sherry.oaks@frontrange.edudrsdoaks@gmail.com303-579-8900

Sundog over UtahCredit: Stan Schmidt, Western Governors University(with permission)

Image Permissions: o Unless noted otherwise, all photographs by S.D. Oakso All students pictured have signed releases for

photographs to be used for educational presentations

De facto permissions are provided by:o NOAA/UCAR scientists and public outreach/education

personnel o Broadcast meteorologists

Please do not use the above images without contacting the author for permission to use.