Smithsonian Education Conference Blog: Climate Change

Spreading the Green Word at SITES

2009-10-20T16:50:38-04:00

At SITES, the Smithsonian's Traveling Exhibition Service, where I work as a writer/editor, we bring exhibitions to museums and venues all over the country. In fact, we've been packing and shipping art, science, and history exhibitions for more than 50 years. As a result, millions of people outside Washington, DC have been able to experience the amazing collections and research programs of the Smithsonian.

Lately we've been working on ways to educate the public on green initiatives and climate change, and taking small but meaningful steps to try to reduce our own carbon footprint. For example we recently joined a group of Smithsonian colleagues and staff from 13 government agencies, including the White House Office of Science and Technology, NASA, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation, to brainstorm about how to best collaborate and develop future exhibitions on this critical topic. Another example is our plan for one of our shows thats about to hit the road: Elvis at 21, Photographs by Albert Wertheimer. For this exhibition, we've opted to use vinyl lettering, which can be applied directly to the walls, instead of text panels. This means less material to fabricate, less to crate, and less to ship.

The biggest task we're undertaking is an exhibition called Rock the Green Revolution, a totally digital project unlike anything we've done before. There's no crates, no shipping, no trucks, and, if all goes according to plan, will have virtually no carbon footprint. The idea originated with the Museum of Science and Industry (MoSI) in Chicago. They created a highly interactive, family-oriented exhibition called Green Revolution--and built it all out of re-purposed materials. No new exhibit components had to be made.

Working with MoSI, SITES has taken the design plans, blueprints, and programming information for that exhibition, digitized them, and is making them available to museums across the US. With these detailed plans, venues can create a low cost, high quality exhibition on renewable energy, organic food, and other issues affecting our environment. Old text panels gathering dust in museum storage areas can be flipped over (or painted over) and reused. Vitrines can be recycled and used as well, for just about anything--from containers to hold aluminum cans and bottles to showcasing the latest composting techniques. The exhibition will also include a robust website and video components.

The best part is that Rock the Green Revolution can be customized to fit just about anywhere, and museums can pick and choose the content that is the most relevant to their visitors. We're excited about this new kind of SITES offering, and anticipate that a few adventurous museums will join us to launch this project, and open their own versions of the show on Earth Day, 2010. Please visit our website to learn more.

-Teresa G. Gionis is a writer and editor at the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

Smithsonian Education's Online Conference on Climate Change - Encouraging Positive Action

2009-10-15T13:29:58-04:00

Our second online conference, “Climate Change,” drew more than 3,700 participants in 82 countries and U.S. territories and in all 50 states. The three-day conference approached the subject from a myriad of Smithsonian disciplines, from wildlife management to paleontology to art history. Ten Smithsonian units took part, as well as such organizations as the National Science Foundation, GLOBE, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. The conference also served as a platform for encouraging positive action. Each day, during an afternoon “Response” session, presenters discussed such topics as student conservation and innovation. In addition, “Special Interest” presentations were devoted to portrayals of the environment in art, to service-learning opportunities around the nation, and to programs in which Smithsonian interns work with scientists on matters related to climate change.

Though the live event has passed, it’s not too late to see the show! All of the conference sessions are archived and closed-captioned. Share this information with your friends and join the conversation with Smithsonian scientists and staff through the discussion boards. Visit http://smithsonianeducation.org/climate.

We also encourage you to see how others are taking action by visiting http://blogactionday.org.

Post-Conference - Five Ways to Continue the Conversation

2009-10-02T13:16:18-04:00

Though the live Smithsonian Education Online Conference on Climate Change has come to an end, there are still ways to continue the conversation. Here are a few ways to start.

Share your favorite moments with your friends and colleagues! Each session is archived and can be replayed at your convenience – http://smithsonianconference.org/climate
Have any questions, comments, or findings that you want to share about a specific presentation or about a specific presenter? For instance, do you want to ask Scott Wing about leaf fossils in Wyoming? Or, are you curious to know more about Smithsonian research in Panama? Want to see what others think about each topic? Ask your questions and post your comments on each presenter’s individual discussion board by entering a specific session. For starters, Here is the link to Nancy Knowlton’s session - http://www.smithsonianconference.org/climate/knowlton/
Visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall! Read the scientists’ articles! Gather links to educational resources! Find opportunities for action! - http://www.smithsonianconference.org/climate/exhibit-hall/
Are you an educator seeking teaching resources? Visit our “For Teachers” section where you can find sample lessons, learning activities, and learn about the challenges of teaching climate change - http://www.smithsonianconference.org/climate/teachers/
On the go? Looking for a quick synopsis of each session? Want to find links to the conference, Smithsonian programs, or share your thoughts in 140 characters or less? Join us on Twitter – Use the #SIClimate Hashtag! - http://www.smithsonianconference.org/climate/discuss/tweets-archive/

Reflecting with Scott Wing's Former Intern, Ben Casterline

2009-10-02T11:54:46-04:00

I sat down with Ben Casterline a few hours before his internship at the National Museum of Natural History came to an end. He had been studying “paleoclimatology” while working with Smithsonian paleontologist Scott Wing. A fourth-year student at the University of Chicago majoring in biology and paleontology, Ben spent four weeks with Wing in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin, quarrying for leaf fossils, digging trenches to measure stratification, and prospecting for new dig sites. In the Bighorn, rocks exposed at the surface represent a period of global warming known as the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM. (See "Going Behind the Scenes with Smithsonian Researchers."). In our interview, Ben remembered his time camped out with scientists and other interns (and, at one point, with Smithsonian Secretary, G. Wayne Clough) as “intellectually stimulating.”

On Working with Fossils
“It’s really about looking at the evidence of climate change, and we are trying to expose that!” Ben exclaimed when discussing his work back in Washington, D.C., after the Wyoming trip. He used an “air scribe,” a tool similar to a miniature jackhammer, to knock off rock from fossilized leaves, Ben assisted Wing through the process of revealing the visible history of climate change as witnessed through changing patterns in the morphology of those leaves. Ben’s other work included photographing the fossils and arranging specimens into groups of similar characteristics, known as “morphotypes.”

On Climate Change
“Models are more reliable the more data you give them,” Ben said as we discussed how his work relates to climate change, “Fossils allow us access to a record stretching back millions of years.” He explained that the study of fossil leaves allows us to see how plant communities have reacted to climate change in the past. The geographic distribution of plants is highly linked to climate: when temperatures increase, for example, plants from the south tend to replace less heat-tolerant natives. The movement reverses when temperatures cool down again.

Before and after the PETM, plants in the Bighorn Basin were similar to those in the modern southeastern United States: laurels, plane trees, etc. During the period of warming in between, plants were similar to those in subtropical Mexico: palms, a lot of legumes, etc. Ben suggested that this is why work in this field is so important; it provides us with clues to our own future.

“Scientists are able to create models that can be accurate!” he says. “What can you do with people but show them evidence?”

Ben Casterline is a fourth year student at the University of Chicago majoring in biology and paleontology. He is a former intern at the National Museum of Natural History.

Jarrid Green is a former Smithsonian intern and recent college graduate from the University of Maryland.

National Museum of Natural History, Climate Change, and Sharing Great Science via Web 2.0

2009-09-30T13:51:10-04:00

My name is Carla Bitter and I am the new Chief of Outreach at Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMMH). This is an incredibly exciting time to be a part of the technological transformation of our culture in terms of how people gather, share and experience science information. It is a great honor to be at the forefront of these strategic changes for our museum, for science, and for our understanding of the world around us. Most importantly, I am so pleased to be able to share the vision of NMNH regarding climate change as a driver in our scientific understanding of human evolution, of biodiversity, of geology and even for cultural and societal change. Ideally conferences like this will lead to better decision making for all of us through enhanced access to current scientific research and perspectives. The future of sharing the best science research seems limitless!

Carla Bitter is the Chief of Outreach at the National Museum of Natural History.

Going Behind the Scenes with Smithsonian Researchers

2009-09-29T13:35:25-04:00

As a new staff member at the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, I am just getting to know the resources it offers to teachers. I’ve learned, for example, that the publication Smithsonian in Your Classroom has been around since the bicentennial year of 1976. (It was then called Art to Zoo). The print version is mailed to elementary and middle school in the country; a PDF version is downloadable from SmithsonianEducation.org. It’s a great way for teachers to connect their students to the work of the Smithsonian—students who might never have an opportunity to set foot in a Smithsonian museum. And as I discovered last week, when the new issue arrived, it is also a way to have a pretty cool educational experience with a friend or two.

I read the issue aloud to my friend Christopher. Titled "Prehistoric Climate Change (and Why It Matters Today)" it tells the story of Smithsonian paleontologist Scott Wing, who has been searching for plant fossils from a time called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), 55 million years ago. During the PETM, global temperatures rose dramatically as a result of natural carbon-dioxide emissions. Scott’s work is now “relevant” because of parallels to our own time of rising carbon in the atmosphere.

In the issue's lesson, students examine 32 life-sized images of leaf fossils that Scott discovered in the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. Through a process called "leaf-margin analysis," they are able to read the temperature during the PETM. With the background information and with these materials, I could imagine Christopher and me digging through the rocky soil of Wyoming in search of fossils that would provide insight into our planet's past-and future.

This issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom is just one of many in which students not only think like a scientist or historian, but also do the real work of science or history. There are lots of lesson plans out there, but I think this makes the Smithsonian’s lessons special. Take a look at "Tale of the Whale," in which students, like actual marine biologists, identify individual whales by their distinctive markings. Or "Stories of the Wrights' Flight," in which they, like actual historians, piece together events on the day of the first motorized flight by studying often-conflicting primary sources.

The new issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom serves as a nice preview of the “Climate Change” conference—Scott is one of the featured speakers. I look forward to reading future issues with friends, if only as a way to share the unique learning experience I’ve had in working at the Smithsonian.

Michelle Smith is director of publications and electronic media at the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies.

Jarrid Green is a former Smithsonian intern and recent college graduate from the University of Maryland.

Climate Change “Finds” of the Week – Part Three

2009-09-28T13:50:35-04:00

Below is my latest list of climate change “finds.” This week I am including links to both Smithsonian and external resources that might be of interest to both educators and other conference participants. They include the Conference Hashtag for Twitter. Check out the conversation going on there! Remember, many of us will be tweeting throughout the live conference, so start following us to get ready!

Conference Hashtag on Twitter - #SIClimate
United Nations Environment Programme – "Paint for the Planet"
A disaster simulation game from the UN/ISDR – "Stop Disasters"
(For upper-level students or skilled game players, this complex game lets you see how choices affect the environmental health in different geographical regions.)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – “IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4)”

Feel free to comment on these items or post any relevant items that you find!

Taking Climate Change Personally

2009-09-24T11:47:43-04:00

I teach at a junior high school in Missouri and attended a Smithsonian Day event as the Missouri Teacher of the Year in 2008. I subsequently won the Smithsonian’s 2009 Increase Award for innovation in teaching teachers how to use Smithsonian resources. When I think about global warming, my thoughts turn to Glacier National Park in Montana. Our entire family spent about a week in the park in 1986, when I was 15, and the highlight was hiking to Grinnell Glacier. We walked on the glacier, felt the river of icy water melting beneath it, and marveled at the views from the Continental Divide. We still look at the photographs and laugh about how much fun we had on that hike.

Fifteen years later, I returned to Glacier National Park to propose to my wife. We hiked the same trail I had as a teenager. But things had changed. When we reached the top, Grinnell Glacier was much different than I had remembered. It was now 2001 and global warming had started to take its toll. The ancient ice mass had become noticeably smaller, and we learned that it was continuing to melt at an accelerated rate. Grinnell Glacier is vanishing before our eyes.

Scientists had predicted the glaciers will vanish from Glacier National Park by 2030. Two years ago that estimate was revised to 2020. Think about it - Glacier National Park without glaciers. The average daily temperature in the park has increased two degrees each year. Glacier National Park is visibly showing the impact of global warming.

The issue of global warming is so easy to ignore in our daily lives. It's difficult to really comprehend the impact of the world's oceans rising a couple of inches each year or the melting of an ice cap on the opposite side of the earth. But it’s happening. It’s real. In many ways it’s like watching your children grow up. They are growing at a rate that is so slow you don't notice it. Then one day you turn around and they're five feet tall.

Grinnell Glacier is part of my personal history. My wife and I want to take our two girls there. We want to hike to the top of Grinnell with them and share the amazing experience we had years before. But in 10 years we may not be able to realize our dream. The glacier may be gone. And that saddens me. Obviously there are greater ramifications to global warming than its effect on the Langhorst family vacation, but what’s happening to that ancient ice mass really brings the issue home for me.

I suspect many of us have a personal take on global warming. If you do, I hope you’ll take a moment to answer this question: What makes global warming real to you? Is there an event, a statistic, an image that moves global warming from just a scientific theory into your personal life?

Please leave your comment on this blog post. We'd love to hear why you take global warming personally.

Eric Langhorst is an 8th grade American history teacher at South Valley Jr. High School in Liberty, Missouri, and a recipient of Smithsonian’s Increase Award for innovation in teaching.

Teens Discover “Green Ways to Move the Mail” at the Postal Museum

2009-09-21T14:02:47-04:00

We receive mail at home and at work six days a week but rarely consider the impact the postal system has on humans and the environment. The U.S. mail travels by truck, bike, mule train, or Segway (PDF), whether along dirt roads or super highways, to reach the densest city neighborhoods and scattered rural ranches. Figuring out the “greenest” way to get it there is a challenge that the US Postal Service (USPS) takes seriously. It’s also a challenge that the Smithsonian National Postal Museum turned over to a group of thirteen-year-olds.

Teens supervise the “invention lab” where museum
visitors try to create a “green” mail delivery vehicle.
The “test driver” in the lab coat makes sure the vehicles
are up to speed on the following criteria: safety,
reliability, speed, and cost.

The 15 “green teens” took charge of planning the Green Ways to Move the Mail Family Festival during a workshop in March 2009. Even the unflappable teenagers were impressed by the sheer size of the postal system on which we depend for birthday cards, coupons, Pottery Barn catalogs, and Netflix. With the world’s largest civilian fleet, USPS drives more than 1.2 billion miles each year. In 2007, USPS delivered to 147,992,522 addresses, and two million addresses are added annually. Despite recent drops in mail volume, the vast system that moves our mail has dramatic impact on the environment.

Teens can recycle their bulk mail or read magazines online, but none of us can immediately affect how mail gets to our door. So the focus of the Festival was not our personal behaviors. Rather, the program used mail transportation as a challenge to teach systems thinking, team work, problem solving, and interdisciplinary knowledge. By teaching others during the festival, teens honed their communication skills and tested out a day in the life of a museum educator.

Museum visitors had five different activity tables to explore at the event.

At the “Rocky Roads: Going Green on the Mean Streets” station, teens offered visitors a set of four oversized die. Rolling the dice presented the visitor with a mail route, including factors such as landscape, mail volume, population density, and distance from the closest post office. Faced with these variables, the teens helped the visitors select the greenest mail vehicle for that route. In the video, you’ll see the teens encourage visitors’ critical thinking by asking questions and making thoughtful observations.

Teens facilitate a green game: pick the best mail vehicle for different delivery routes!

Teens at another activity invited visitors to design and test a prototype of the “perfect mail delivery vehicle,” a real-life challenge USPS engineers face every day. Teen “test drivers” in lab coats provoked problem-solving skills by urging visitors to explain how their vehicles met the design criteria—the vehicles had to be safe, reliable, fast, inexpensive, and green. Prototypes included a fancy monorail for long distance mail, a “genetically modified kangaroo” (airmail based on kangaroos’ bouncing energy), and a train that ran only on popcorn. While USPS might balk at the idea of marsupial mail, the test drivers gave these innovations the green light because visitors were able to demonstrate that their inventions met the criteria.

USPS Senior Mechanical Engineer Robert Garris gives
teens a tour of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that
delivers mail in Washington, DC.

“The Shocking History of the Electric Car” dispelled the myth that electric vehicles have only recently been used to deliver the mail. Faced with a jumbled timeline, museum visitors had to use clues provided by the teens to figure out when the first electric vehicle delivered mail in the US. You may be shocked to learn the answer: 1899. History teachers won’t be surprised that the game helped establish a historical foundation for considering future change.

More than 170 visitors enjoyed the festival and appreciated the teens’ hard work. In the post-festival wrap-up, the teens excitedly shared stories of their visitor interactions and how their activities worked. “Visitors were like, ‘Wow you’re only 13 and you put this together!’ So that was cool,” said one teen who had created a scavenger hunt of the museum’s different mail vehicles.

The participating green teens may grow up to be the engineers, technologists, and problem solvers who find innovative solutions to stop climate change. The knowledge and skills they learned through Green Ways to Move the Mail will serve them well no matter where their journey takes them.

Erin Blasco is Public Programs Coordinator and Aurélie Henry is the Education Technology Specialist at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Climate Change "Finds" of the Week - Part Two

2009-09-15T14:10:26-04:00

As a follow up to last week’s “Climate Change “Finds” of the Week” post, below is my latest list of climate change “finds.” This week I am including links to both Smithsonian and external resources that might be of interest to educators. They include the Philip Merrill Center, which I visited on a memorable field trip with my AP Environmental Science class during senior year of high school! What do you think?

National Zoological Park, Migratory Bird Center – "Do Birds Make a Difference?”
"Cool" School Challenge – Take the challenge!
Global Change Research Program Educator Resource – “Climate Change Wildlife and Woodlands – A Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators”
Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Headquarters – The Philip Merrill Center
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – “Thinning Ice, Acid Seas: Climate Change at the Poles”

Feel free to comment on these items or post any relevant items that you find!

Jarrid Green is a former Smithsonian intern and recent college graduate from the University of Maryland.