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.