Public understanding of climate science got an infusion of energy with the December launch of a major national collaborative designed to engage citizens of all ages directly in investigations of local indicators of climate change.

Communicating Climate Change, a project of ASTC’s IGLO (International Action on Global Warming) Initiative, pairs 12 science centers with research institutions to observe and document indicators of climate change, from bark beetle infestations to changing patterns of bird migration. Also supporting the project are the American Geophysical Union, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies will study effects of participation in educational activities on public attitudes and behavior.

Yale’s Anthony Leiserowitz, a Co-Principal Investigator for the project, notes that his research suggests that most people believe that “climate change is something that takes place somewhere else far away, not in your own backyard.” Communicating Climate Change is designed to change that understanding. In addition to educational programs and research activities, the project will produce a series of videos for broadcast on American television’s ABC network and a web-based interactive map where science centers worldwide can contribute climate indicator data.

Science centers participating in the project are: Arizona Science Center, Phoenix; Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii; Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland, California; EdVenture Children’s Museum, Columbia, South Carolina; the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Maryland Science Center, Baltimore; Museum of Discovery & Science, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque; New York Hall of Science, Queens (where the launch event took place); Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego, California; Sciencenter, Ithaca, New York; and Saint Louis Science Center, Missouri.

Communicating Climate Change is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Informal Science Education program.

Photo: Chabot Space & Science Center teen volunteer Connie Phu and college environmental intern Marie VanZandt explore atmospheric models with science center public visitors. Photo courtesy of Chabot Space & Science Center

ASTC has received a major grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a three-year collaborative project entitled Communicating Climate Change. The grant, awarded by NSF’s Informal Science Education Program, will enable ASTC to advance the informal learning sector’s contribution to public engagement with climate science and the implications of global warming. Partners include the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Geophysical Union, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and the Yale School of Forestry and Environment, as well as 12 science centers throughout the United States, each paired with a research center.

Each partnership will investigate a local outcome of climate change—such as loss of butterfly habitats—and involve the surrounding community in exploring reasons for and consequences of that change. The project will result in numerous tools for the informal science community, including model citizen science projects, an online interactive map of climate change research, and educational videos. Also part of the project is a national survey of public perceptions of and attitudes toward climate change.

Communicating Climate Change is a project of ASTC’s International Action on Global Warming (IGLO) initiative.

The Noyce Leadership Institute’s first cohort of Fellows—17 chief executives from science centers worldwide—recently gathered in Seattle for a week-long session beginning the nine-month program of face-to-face sessions, coaching, video conferencing, and peer learning. The Institute was founded in partnership with ASTC to immerse both existing and aspiring executives in cutting-edge knowledge and tools, promising practices, and professional networks, with an eye to increasing their capacity to lead effectively and have a greater impact in their communities. Over the long term, the Institute aims to strengthen the impact of science centers as innovative educational hubs.

Primary funding for the Institute comes from the Noyce Foundation, with additional support from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Additional programs for chief executives and others who aspire to leadership roles in science centers are being planned. More information and an opportunity to meet with Noyce Leadership Institute representatives will be available at the ASTC Annual Conference in Philadelphia in October.

Photo by Chee-kuen Yip, Macao Science Centre

On June 25, members of the U.S. Congress and Congressional staff had a taste of hands-on science during a reception organized by the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), an alliance of over 100 organizations united by a concern for the future vitality of the U.S. science, mathematics, and engineering enterprise.

ASTC was among the more than 30 groups participating in the reception, “The Path to Innovation: Scientific Discovery and Learning,” which showcased research and education projects supported by NSF. Staff were on hand to demonstrate the work of NISE Net, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, and Astronomy From the Ground Up, a professional development program for informal astronomy educators. Hands-on activities included “Exploring Forces,” where guests could fill a tiny teacup with water and turn it over to see how the surface tension over such a small area prevents the water from spilling out; and “Worlds in Comparison,” where three pounds of modeling clay is divided to create scale replicas of the planets in our solar system.

Sciencenter executive director and ASTC board member Charlie Trautmann delivered a keynote address at the 2008 Ecsite conference in Budapest on May 29. His talk, titled “If not us, then who?,” challenged science centers globally to engage their audiences in addressing significant current issues in which science and public understanding play an essential role.

“We are now at the crossroads of history,” he said, citing evidence that climate zones in Europe are moving north at a rate of about 10 meters every day. Invoking the Iroquois advice that, “in every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation,” he called on science centers to bring their capacities to bear on the issue of global environmental sustainability. As trusted institutions with significant audiences, able to act with independence and flexibility, science centers are well positioned to build public understanding of climate change while taking action to make their own operations more sustainable, he said. He concluded by challenging science centers to engage their audiences in “the ultimate science experiment: changing the world.”

Participating in the Ecsite conference were 800 delegates from nearly 45 countries. For more about Ecsite, the European Network of Science Centres and Museums, click here.

About the image: Ecsite speaker Charlie Trautmann speaks in front of a 10-meter tape that dramatically illustrates the rate at which climate zones are shifting toward the poles. Photo courtesy Ecsite