49 Geoscience Education II

Sunday, 18 October 2009
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
C123

AMS CLIMATE STUDIES: A TURNKEY PACKAGE IN CLIMATE SCIENCE LITERACY

Paper number: 49-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:20 PM – 2:35 PM

Authors

Abstract

The American Meteorological Society views introductory college-level courses to be important avenues for advancing scientific literacy among the public. As such, the AMS Education Program considers the development of high-caliber, scientifically-authentic educational materials to be a top priority.

AMS Climate Studies, the newest addition to the AMS suite of geoscience courses, is currently under development with major support from NASA. This turnkey package will place students in a dynamic learning environment where they’ll investigate Earth’s climate system using real-world datasets.

The learning system consists of a fully-integrated set of printed and online learning materials focused around a new textbook, Climate Studies: Introduction to Climate Science, by Joseph M. Moran. The package will also include and an Investigations Manual (30 lab-style activities) and a course website with access to environmental data streams using a suite of NASA and NOAA images and products.

AMS Climate Studies offers colleges and universities a way to expand their geoscience offerings in a meaningful, cost-effective way, and will be available Fall 2010.