Sally Ride Science Climate Change Conference for Educators Resources Now Available

Sally Ride Science Climate Change Conference for Educator videos and resources now available on the IGLO Toolkit. The conference focused on the understanding of climate change as well as to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sally Ride’s first space shuttle mission. How was Earth’s climate different 25 years ago? What changes are predicted over the next 25 years? Climate is an ideal interdisclinary theme for education. Beginning with simple concepts and observations of weather and water, and building increasingly complex investigations into the physical, chemical and biological dimensions of climate, students and teachers have the opportunity to better understand the interconnectedness of this important topic and use this knowledge in their lives and communities. Check it out at www.atmospheres.gsfc.nasa.gov/iglo/view_cat.php?cid=13.

IGLO Honor Committee Member Elected Vice-Chair of IPCC

On September 2, 2008, Prof. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, an IGLO Honor Committee member, was elected vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He plans to help Mr. Rajendra Pachauri, co-laureat of the Nobel Prize with Al Gore and president of the IPCC, to respond to numerous challenges IPCC will face in the next six years. He wants IPCC to become more useful for decision-makers as well as remain scientifically accurate and independent.

Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele is a Belgian professor of Climatology and Environmental Sciences at the Universite Catholique de Louvain-La-Neuve. He is an expert in modeling climate and the climate effects of human activities and does research on the impacts of climate change. For IGLO, he participated in a video conference in the beginning stages of the project and continues to comment on our work. He will continue to participate in future IGLO activities and we wish him all the best and look forward to his valuable contributions during his six-year term. Congratulations Prof. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele!

AGI Earth Science Week Activities

In May 2008, ASTC issued a call for science centers to submit earth science-related activities to be featured in a special calendar celebrating the American Geological Institute’s Earth Science Week (ESW). One of the submissions would be chosen as a featured activity of the month. A gold-panning activity from Chabot Space & ScienceCenter , Oakland, California, will be featured in the ESW 2008-2009 calendar during the month of May. This history-meets-science demonstration is appropriate for kindergarten through ninth grade students.

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California, also submitted an activity that helps students explore “the other CO2 problem” - ocean acidification - and its potential impacts on marine life and ecosystems. This can be found in the IGLO Toolkit under “Hands-On Activities.”

Congressmen to Partner with Science Centers in Eco-art Project

United States Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 18th District, Miami, has teamed up with Xavier Cortada, artist-in-residence at Florida’s Miami Science Museum, to participate in the Native Flags installation. Previously, IGLO has publicized Cortada’s work because of the shared goals of raising climate-change awareness. So enthused by this urban reforestation project that aims to help restore native species, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen has written to fellow members of Congress urging them to partner with science centers and plant a native tree and a flag specially designed by Cortada. In addition to Native Flags expanding in the U.S. beyond Miami, Cortada is traveling to the North Pole and will display a flag upon his arrival on June 30. This event will kick off Native Flags on a global level - citizens worldwide are encouraged to plant indigenous trees as well as a flag. Institutions that have been contacted by their local congressmen should e-mail iglo@astc.org with any questions they may, or if they would like information on how to approach elected officials about participating in Native Flags. To learn more about the installation, please visit www.xaviercortada.com. For a copy of Rep. Ros-Lehtinen’s letter, click here.

Sea Turtles Race to International Date Line

Eleven leatherback turtles are swimming through the Pacific Ocean towards the International Date Line. The Great Turtle Race kicked off today with competitors starting off from either the coast of California or Jamusrba-Madi, Indonesia. Each turtle has a sponsoring organization and is tagged for tracking and research. During the next two weeks, leatherbacks swimming east will head to their foraging grounds in the Pacific; those swimming west will move towards their nesting beaches in Indonesia. Over the past decade, the once-thriving population of leatherbacks has dwindled by 95% due to human pressures. The survival of this species of sea turtle is particularly dependent on its environment and thus makes it especially susceptible to the effects of global warming. For example, warmer water temperatures have led to an increase in the female turtle population. In its second year of existence, the Great Turtle Race aims to bring media attention to the plight of this endangered species, engage the general public in discussion about the issue, and invite donations from concerned citizens. The funds raised will be used to protect the turtles’ nesting areas and protect them in the water. Event details, educational background on the leatherbacks and global warming, and a full listing of sponsors and other supporting organizations, including IGLO partner NOAA, are available online at the race web site. A video and other climate change-related news can be found on Andrew Revkin’s blog, Dot Earth. Revkin is involved with Polar-Palooza and was a speaker at the ASTC 2008 Annual Conference.

At Science Centers

ASTC 2008 ANNUAL CONFERENCE IGLO PRE-CONFERENCE SESSION

Sign-up now to attend this year's IGLO/ASTC pre-conference session on Friday, October 17, 2008, titled "Measuring Our Carbon Footprint and Fingerprints on Climate Change" which focuses on the world's carbon cycle. During this all-day (9am-5pm) event at the Academy of Natural Sciences, a few blocks from The Franklin Institute, participants will find a clearer understanding of science and economics that pervade the politics of carbon emissions. New and cutting edge research presented by NOAA and NASA scientists will lead the pre-conference session and will give a detailed examination of what is and is not known about the carbon cycle.

Keynote Science Presentations:

- The Science of Global Carbon Tracking: Pieter Tans, NOAA.

- Introducing Project Vulcan  

- Can Earth's Plants Keep Up with Us?: Mark Imhoff, NASA GSFC

Case studies:

- An Amateur's Guide to Earth Observation: Holli Riebeek

- Appalachian Voices: Founder Mary Ann Hitt will use GoogleEarth to demonstrate the extent of mountaintop removal mining across Appalachia, and to document the severity of the damage on forests and waterways

- Urban Tree Mapping: Amber Bieg, Development Officer, Friends of the Urban Forest

- Greenmuseum.org: Conceived and founded by Sam Bower is a virtual museum providing online imagery and information about how artists around the world are creating works of art that are more than mere aesthetically pleasing.

To register for the IGLO Pre-conference session, simply check off the "Measuring Our CarbonFootprint" box under the "Paid Conference Events/Workshops" section on the registration form in the preliminary conference program (available in hardcopy or online at the ASTC website - http://www.astc.org/conference/registration.htm). The cost to attend is $30, which includes coffee and lunch. Contact iglo@astc.org with any questions.

We hope to see you all there!

Climate Change in the News