NASA grant enables Clarkson University and NYSERDA to improve climate change education in NYS

Clarkson University recently received a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to improve climate change education for middle and high school students in New York State. Only 15 of 161 proposals submitted were selected nationwide. Clarkson will be working closely with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to develop and disseminate educational modules that utilize NASA’s vast array of data chronicling the changes in climate and earth system functions.

“We are proud to partner with Clarkson and NASA on a project that will help students learn about the implications climate change could have on their future and the steps they can take to mitigate these impacts,” said Francis J. Murray, president and CEO of NYSERDA. “This award adds to NYSERDA’s ongoing work to support teachers statewide seeking to learn new ways to educate students about the critical energy challenges facing New York and the world.”

This summer at Clarkson, earth and environmental science teachers will develop project-based, climate change units for middle and high school classrooms using NASA geospatial data. Following the trial of these lessons in classrooms around the state, a summer institute will be held at Clarkson University in 2011 to train more teachers. The resulting learning experiences will be disseminated through teacher workshops and conferences hosted by NYSERDA’s Energy Smart Students Program.

For more information: www.clarkson.edu