Forces of Change - Forces of Change is a comprehensive program being developed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, through funding from NASA and other donors, to explain the geological, environmental, and historical processes that have shaped our world. It will consist of a permanent exhibit in the Museum, a traveling exhibit, publications, interactive computer programs, and public programming which will include a lecture series and electronic classroom courses.
The cornerstone of the Forces of Change program is a permanent exhibit in the National Museum of Natural History scheduled to open early in 2001. The 5,400 sq. foot display will examine the forces of change that have shaped and sustained the Earth since the beginning of geologic time. The goal of the exhibit will be to inform visitors about the history and present condition of our environment as the world prepares to enter the 21st century. The exhibit will be a marriage of traditional and high-tech approaches to learning about Earth systems and managing our precious natural resources. Upon entering, visitors will encounter the Earth Systems Monitoring Station, a multi-media display of remote-sensing imagery, real-time data links, historic evidence and other techniques that demonstrate how the Earth is affected by geological, environmental, and human changes, and how all of these processes are interconnected. A rotating case study area will highlight regional themes, changing every two years and allowing visitors to learn about how global forces have affected specific parts of the planet. The inaugural section on Antarctica will illustrate how the relatively pristine landscape of this remote continent serves as a living laboratory for scholars around the world interested in studying the processes of global change through geologic time. Other regional studies under consideration are the North American Grasslands, Hawaii, the Chesapeake Bay and Amazonia.
In addition to the exhibit, Forces of Change will be available in a variety of formats - videos, CD-ROMs, and posters - for use in: classrooms, municipal buildings, malls, and airports. A traveling exhibit on agriculture in the North American grasslands will circulate through libraries nationwide and a richly illustrated coffee-table book, published by National Geographic, will further articulate the programs themes.
Contact: Barbara Stauffer, National Museum of Natural History, Office of Exhibits, 10th and Constitution, Washington, DC 20560 -0101; Phone: (202) 357 -2377; Fax: (202) 786 -2567; Email: stauffer.barbara@nmnh.si.edu
(Added: 19-Apr-2001 Hits: 2735) [Spider search][grade levels: all]
Forest Watch - Forest Watch is an environmental education program developed and run by Complex Systems Research
Center at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). It is designed to introduce both teachers and their
students to field, laboratory, and satellite data analysis methods for assessing the state-of-health of local
forest stands. Forest Watch provides workshops which are designed to help K-12 teachers introduce their
students to selected hands-on techniques for evaluating the health of white pine (Pinus strobus), a
bio-indicator for tropospheric ozone damage. Through Forest Watch, students become actively involved in
doing meaningful scientific research. Students and teachers setup permanent sampling plots in a forest
stand and conduct several ecological and biophysical measurements using scientific protocols. Students
collect and help analyze valuable data for UNH researchers while participating in this educationally
beneficial program. Contact: Dr. Barry Rock, Program Director, or Mr. Shannon Spencer, Program Coordinator, Complex
System Research Center, Morse Hall, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824; Phone: (603)
862-1792; Fax: (603) 862-0188; Email: forestwatch@unh.edu
(Added: 5-Feb-2001 Hits: 1113) [Spider search][grade levels: 3-5|6-8|9-12]
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) - GLOBE is a worldwide network of K-12 students who work under the guidance of GLOBE-trained
teachers to make a core set of environmental observations at or near their schools and report their data via
the Internet. GLOBE environmental measurements are in the following study areas: Atmosphere,
Hydrology, Land Cover, Soils, GPS, and Seasons. Scientists use GLOBE data in their research and
provide feedback to the students to enrich their science education. Each day, images created from the
GLOBE student data sets are posted on the World Wide Web, allowing students and visitors to the
GLOBE Web site to visualize the student environmental observations. Teachers and students from over
6,500 schools in over 80 countries currently participate in GLOBE.
An interagency team manages GLOBE, which includes NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the
Departments of Education and State.
There is no cost to participate in the GLOBE Program. However, schools must support participation by
one or more teachers to attend a GLOBE Training Workshop and make available to students the
equipment for taking measurements and Internet access for reporting their data.
Contact: GLOBE Program, 744 Jackson Place, Washington, DC 20503; Phone: (800) 858-9947; Email:
info@globe.gov
(Added: 22-May-1999 Hits: 1412) [Spider search][grade levels: all]
Graphing Atmospheric Ozone - Visit the Exploratorium's Ozone graphing activity to use
actual satellite data in your own "ozone hole"
investigations.
(Added: 28-Jun-1999 Hits: 1464) [Spider search][grade levels: 3-5|6-8]
ICP Interactive Courseware - Using Multimedia Toolbook, a PC Windows-based authoring software package, interactive curriculum modules have been developed as
auto-tutorial teaching tools to help students learn basic physical concepts as well as several meteorological applications.
The applications presented at this site can be used on IBM/compatible PCs running Microsoft Windows 3.x/95/NT and Netscape Navigator
2.0+ or Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.0+, with the required plug-in, Neuron, installed.
(Added: 14-Jun-1999 Hits: 1190) [Spider search][grade levels: post-secondary]
IMAGERS - The IMAGERS (Interactive Multimedia Adventures for Grade-school Education using Remote
Sensing) project is developed upon a framework which allows for the incorporation of new
content, geographic location, and storyline using satellite imagery as the foundation.
(Added: 22-May-1999 Hits: 1053) [Spider search][grade levels: 6-8]
IMAGERS - Remote Sensing - The IMAGERS remote sensing site helps students answer the question: "What is the difference between a photograph from space and a satellite image?"
(Added: 22-May-1999 Hits: 732) [Spider search][grade levels: 6-8]
IMAGERS - Student Site - The IMAGERS Student Site contains student activities such as "The Adventure of Echo the Bat", "Electromagentic Spectrum", and "Remote Sensing."
(Added: 22-May-1999 Hits: 747) [Spider search][grade levels: 6-8]
IMAGERS - The Electromagnetic Spectrum - This site provides information on what makes up the electromagnetic spectrum. A discussion on what are waves, what are electromagnetic waves? and what are wavelengths are provided. Also, there are sections that discuss the following portions of the EM spectrum: radio, microwave, infrared, visible light, ulraviolet, xrays, and gamma rays.
(Added: 22-May-1999 Hits: 1056) [Spider search][grade levels: 6-8]
