Awardees of NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grants

Below is a list of all Environmental Literacy Grants funded by NOAA. Projects are sorted by year and priority. The priorities for each year are:


2005 - Priority 1: Partnerships that promote systemic change in NOAA-related science education.

2005 - Priority 2: Innovative presentation of NOAA science and earth observing data through educational data visualizations and other educational tools.

2006 - Priority 1: Further the use and incorporation of the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts in formal and informal education and/or measure ocean literacy among the public.

2006 - Priority 2: Strengthen the capacity to develop a workforce knowledgeable about weather and climate.

2006 - Science on a Sphere (SOS): Build environmental literacy among the general public through increased use of NOAA or NOAA-related data and data products in informal education institutions.

2007 - Environmental Literacy Grants for Formal K-12 Education.

2007 - Environmental Literacy Grants for Free-Choice Learning.

2005 - Priority 1 Abstracts:

Title: Building and Distributing SciGuides and Science Objects
Institution: National Science Teachers Association
PI: Albert Byers
Amount Awarded: $463,071

Abstract: In fall 2004, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) embarked on a cooperative agreement with the NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) to develop a series of education products for teachers corresponding to topics aligned to NOAA's mission. The products--called Science Objects and SciGuides--address teacher professional development needs, and provide classroom resources. The agreement includes both evaluative components and a means for dissemination. The topics are drawn from science education standards, specifically a draft Oceans map AAAS produced that is modeled after the benchmark maps found in the Atlas of Science Literacy (AAAS and NSTA, 2001). The topics are also informed by the National Science Educations Standards (N. R. Council, 1996). The topics were selected to support the curriculum at the high school level. These topics were in turn aligned to science research produced by NOAA scientists.
Several months after the cooperative agreement was formalized, NSTA and the NOAA Office of Education and Sustainable Development agreed to a work order to produce a single SciGuide at the middle school level that will draw on topics found in the AAAS Weather and Climate map. Production for this SciGuide is due to start in June 2005 and will be completed in November 2005.
To ensure topic choices, NSTA standards experts proposed a list from which to choose. Its experts also concentrated their analysis of the maps to the grade bands that interested each line office – high school for the NOS and middle school for the OESD. The universe of topics is far from exhausted. NSTA would like to expand on these partnerships to plan, implement, and evaluate two additional Science Objects and two SciGuides at the middle level, which will be disseminated through two Symposia that take place at NSTA conventions in fall 2006 and spring 2007. The additional development will fill in two of the gaps left open in the maps, and equip even more science educators to better teach the science of the NOAA, namely oceans, coasts, charting and navigation, weather, energy flow through an ecosystem, and climate. This partnership will bring NSTA educational professionals and master teachers together in an ongoing working relationship with NOAA scientists, writers, content experts, and communications professionals. 

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Title: DataStreme Ocean: AMS/NOAA Teacher Enhancement
Institution: American Meteorological Society
PI: Ira W. Geer
Amount Awarded: $390,000

Abstract: This project provides for the continued development of a national cadre of precollege teachers competent in ocean and coastal environmental science content and appropriate pedagogy who serve as Ocean Education Resource Teachers and leaders in their local areas and home states. In recognition of the vital role of teachers in promoting environmental literacy, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) proposes the ongoing offering and continual development of its inservice precollege teacher enhancement course entitled DataStreme Ocean.

The semester-long, three-credit hour graduate course will be offered at up to 25 sites nationally via three-member Local Implementation Teams (LITs). About 75 specially trained precollege teachers, college/university professors, and scientists serve on LITs. Project institutional partners include NOAA and the State University of New York at Brockport. DataStreme Ocean is partially delivered online and focuses on investigations of the ocean and coastal environment emphasizing the use of the most current NOAA data available on the Internet. Offered fall and spring semesters, 400 teachers will be trained during the 2005-06 school year. As part of their training, participants develop Plans of Action outlining their roles as Ocean Education Resource Teachers in their schools.

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Title: Multicultural students At Sea Together-3 (MAST-3)
Institution: Hampton University
PI: Benjamin Cuker
Amount Awarded: $ 359,099

Abstract: The primary goal of MAST-3 is to increase the diversity of students; particularly those from underrepresented groups, electing careers in NOAA related marine sciences. This is done through a multidisciplinary program that engages students in NOAA-related marine research, and explores marine policy, the heritage of African Americans and Native Americans in the coastal environment, and seamanship. MAST students will use the Chesapeake Bay to understand efforts to protect, restore and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management. To do this, Hampton University forms partnerships with various NOAA labs/sites, several university laboratories, the USEPA, various museums, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the menhaden fishing industry.

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Title: National Model Earth Science Lab Course
Institution: TERC
PIs: Daniel Barstow, Tamara Ledley, and Kathryn Manduca,
Amount Awarded: $497,029

Abstract: A collaboration of five key states, an array of scientists and educators, and an experienced science curriculum team will develop and establish a National Model Earth Science Lab Course, providing standards and exemplary activities that will reach hundreds of thousands of students annually. The team will create a lab handbook with guidelines and exemplary activities in Earth system science and environmental literacy. All materials will be published on the web and available for free to teachers and students.
The initial set of four exemplary labs will engage students in field experiences, classroom experiments and active use of data and computer visualizations dealing with oceans, atmosphere and other NOAA domains. These hands-on learning experiences will help students develop environmental literacy, build deep understandings of Earth as a system, and apply scientific thinking, problem-solving. and data analysis. The participating states view this as filling a crucial gap in the approval and implementation of Earth science as a standard high school lab science.

This project builds on planning done in a series of projects: National Conference on the Revolution in Earth Science Education, State Alliances for Earth Science Education, and Planning Grant for Earth System Science as a High School Lab Science. This National Model responds directly to essential needs expressed by the states. The labs will comply with national and state standards for Earth science and meet requirements for a true lab science course.

This project is bold and ambitious, but also essential for states striving to strengthen their high school Earth science offerings, and it is a practical response to NOAA's need to infuse its resources into the fabric of public Earth science education.

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Title: The Earth & Sky/NOAA Partnership
Institution: Earth & Sky
PI: Ryan Britton
Amount Awarded: $372,113

Abstract: The Earth & Sky radio series proposes to produce, distribute, market and evaluate 72 compelling environmental radio programs on oceanic and atmospheric topics featuring NOAA scientists, data and information. These programs will air at a rate of 24 programs per year over a three-year period as part of Earth & Sky's regularly scheduled programming to its many affiliates.

Earth & Sky will feature this new radio programming on our web site. The programs will be available in both text and a variety of audio formats including downloadable mp3 files, streaming m3u files, and will be available for podcast. The web site will also feature additional information that augments and supports the content of the radio programs, including links to relevant information, encouraging web visitors to delve deeper into a topic area and learn more.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12. PLT will correlate their vast catalogue of existing environmental education curricula to each show. Correlations for each program will be listed next to that show in the dedicated PLT section of Earth & Sky's website.

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2005 - Priority 2 Abstracts:

Title: A Comprehensive Environmental Education Program Centered on NOAA's Science On a Sphere™
Institution: Bishop Museum
PIs: Mike Shanahan and Kay Fullerton
Amount Awarded: $493,970
Abstract: The Bishop Museum will develop, implement and evaluate of a full set of informal education programs centered on the Science On a Sphere™ exhibit. This proposal includes the following programs and exhibits:
-Eleven classroom modules on earth and ocean sciences (one module for each grade from kindergarten through 10th) using a field trip to the Science On a Sphere™ (SOS) and the new Science Adventure Center at Bishop Museum as the keystone for each module.
- Exhibits in the planetarium lobby that will augment the SOS display by providing additional content information, local tie-ins, and information on how SOS works.
- Daily live demonstrations at the sphere. This includes public demonstrations (1200 shows, 22,000 attendees during the grant period) and school children (400 shows, 9600 attendees during the grant period) for a total attendance of 31,600.
-Yearly teacher workshops (2 total, 80 educators) to promote the use of the classroom modules mentioned above with NOAA staff and museum staff.
Special-event programming incorporating the sphere: 1) An eight-session lecture series featuring NOAA staff; 2) Two annual ”Mad About Science” Festivals; 3) Eight Family Sunday events; 4) Twenty local television news and weather broadcasts using the sphere and its programs for content and background.

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Title: Educational Applications of the National Maritime Center Science on a Sphere™--A Collaborative Project
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison and Hampton University
PIs: Steven Ackerman (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and John Anderson (Hampton University)
Amount Awarded: $500,000
Abstract: It is proposed to develop and implement a strong environmental literacy and science education program that promotes NOAA's Science on a Sphere™ (SOS), recently installed at The National Maritime Center's Nauticus museum. The program will create state-of-the-art science displays for the SOS that are integrated with high quality education materials that are aligned with national standards and specifically address the NOAA Education Plan. The University of Wisconsin (UW) has expertise in satellite data access and visualization systems. Hampton University (HU) has an excellent atmospheric and marine sciences education program. The National Maritime Center (TNMC), in close proximity to HU, has a strong education department interested in making effective use of the newly acquired SOS. The capabilities of these three partners will create an exciting and innovative education and information environment surrounding the SOS.
This program will use the SOS as a focal point to support learning about global oceanic and atmospheric circulations and their effect on local environments. The TNMC will have the capability to rapidly make the public aware of environmental events that are making the news. The team will create real time global displays of environmental phenomena for the SOS from the expansive UW environmental satellite database. Supporting computer visualization systems will allow viewers to move from global scale to regional and local scale in order to examine specific features of the phenomena being visualized. Thus, the program will create a rich data environment by integrating high spatial and temporal resolution visualizations of environmental phenomena to complement the global visualizations provided by the SOS.
Education materials will be developed that are suitable for formal and informal education programs. These will inform TNMC visitors about Earth environmental phenomena (e.g., Hurricanes and El Niño). User-driven interactive displays (e.g. kiosks) will allow visitors to learn about the physical processes producing the phenomena they see on the SOS and supporting systems, and then explore and understand them in greater detail. For example, the SOS display of a hurricane tracking across the Atlantic Ocean will be complimented with high resolution displays of the storm as it nears the U.S. East Coast. Viewers will be able to interactively investigate the storm using NOAA data, learn about the causes of hurricanes, and answer questions to test their understanding. Educators and scientists will collaborate to develop an online Problem-Based Learning (PBL) module on hurricanes to support classroom activities. To evaluate and improve these materials, the partners will provide field trips and docents to TNMC, including HU and UW graduate students. The teaming of HU, UW and TNMC in this program offers the opportunity to expose students from ethnic minority groups to various NOAA career paths and help produce graduates with solid technical backgrounds. The partnership leverages activities and expertise at each institution thereby reducing the cost and providing sustainability of the developed products. All three institutions have existing strong ties to NOAA's research and education programs.

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Title: NOAA's Science On a Sphere™ at the Bishop Museum (Installation award)
Institution: Bishop Museum
PI: Mike Shanahan
Amount Awarded: $70,000
Abstract: Bishop Museum proposes an installation of a Science On a Sphere™ (SOS) at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu , Hawai‘i beginning in 2005-2006. Science on a Sphere, a spherical multimedia display on which NOAA data can be displayed, provides an unparalleled opportunity for innovative and meaningful environmental education for all ages.
Teaching environmental literacy in Hawai‘i presents unique challenges and opportunities for the educator. Hawai‘i's natural environment is ideal for conducting research and education on significant topics of earth and ocean sciences; NOAA scientists currently play a large role in ongoing research in and around the Hawaiian Islands . Topics such as climate, ocean and coastal environments, weather, air and atmospheric quality and volcanoes are all of great interest to Hawaii 's residents and visitors. However, the geographic isolation of the islands may result in a diminished global perspective among Hawaii 's student and general populations. These factors, combining demonstrated interest with demonstrated need, make Hawai‘i an ideal location for the Science On a Sphere™ project.
The addition of a SOS unit to the Museum will allow visitors to learn about the global earth systems that underlie the “science of Hawai‘i” featured in the Science Adventure Center at the Bishop Museum . The Bishop Museum plans to install the SOS as the central exhibit in a public gallery adjacent to the Museum's planetarium and the main entrance to the Museum grounds. The Science On a Sphere™ globe will feature a variety of data sets that will change on a regular basis when not being used by a live presenter. In addition, Bishop Museum staff and scientists will be able to assist in creating new and exciting visuals for SOS.

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Title: Science On a Sphere™ (SOS) Partnership Cooperative Agreement (Installation award)--A Collaborative Project
Institutions: Maryland Science Center with Science Museum of Minnesota
PIs: Roberta Cooks, Maryland Science Center ; Patrick Hamilton, Science Museum of Minnesota
Amount Awarded: $140,000
Abstract: This proposal is for the installation of a Science On a Sphere™ in the two museums comprising the SOS Partnership—a collaboration between the Maryland Science Center ( Baltimore ) and the Science Museum of Minnesota ( St. Paul ). Each of the two museum installations will take advantage of the wide variety of NOAA data sets that Science On a Sphere™ (SOS) projects onto a six-foot sphere, creating unique, animated, whole-planet views of real-time, past and forecasted, weather, climate and geophysical processes, and many other dramatic visualizations of the whole Earth.
Working with NOAA, the Maryland Science Center (MSC) experimented with SOS in its facility in June 2004 and learned about the considerable potential of this visualization technology to engage and inform public audiences about NOAA-related sciences. According to the SOS evaluation report prepared for MSC by RMC Research Corporation in December 2004, the vast majority of audiences stayed through 40-minute presentations, with many remaining afterwards to ask questions of the presenters. Most of these visitors said they would return to see this exhibit again and would recommend it to others. The overwhelmingly positive response of MSC audiences to SOS points to the potential for this technology to be a powerful visitor learning experience in the informal education environments of museums.

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Title: Science On a Sphere™ Partnership Programming Proposal--A Collaborative Project
Institution: Maryland Science Center and Science Museum of Minnesota
PIs: Roberta Cooks, Maryland Science Center ; Patrick Hamilton, Science Museum of Minnesota
Amount Awarded: $499,924
Abstract: Using the relative strengths of each museum, the Science On a Sphere™ Partnership between the Maryland Science Center (MSC) and the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) proposes to develop jointly two complementary but distinct exhibit approaches to Science On a Sphere™ (SOS). With its existing TerraLink exhibition and prior experience with SOS, MSC has strong in-house expertise in NOAA-related sciences and first-hand knowledge of how SOS works in an informal education setting. With its experience in the production of high-definition 3D cinema and its digital research and development center, SMM has expertise in the development and testing of new digital approaches to science learning.
Based on MSC's and SMM's combined yearly attendance, SOS will be available to 1.5 million visitors annually for the two years of this project. SMM—with the assistance of MSC—will incorporate SOS into a national traveling exhibition called “WATER PLANET.” Twenty museums already have expressed interest in hosting the exhibition. WATER PLANET, with SOS as one of its anchor experiences, will be seen by an estimated one million people a year once its tour begins in summer 2009.
Working with NOAA, MSC operated SOS in its facility in June 2004. Both SOS partner museums will develop and test somewhat differing approaches to presenting SOS to their audiences because of their different respective institutional settings for SOS, but both museums share in common expected outcomes for their visitors and for the project as a whole.
Audiences interacting with SOS will view the Earth in fundamentally new ways. A globe is the most accurate representation possible of the spherical Earth and thus SOS will enable viewers to observe global connections in geophysical phenomena not possible with any two dimensional representation of the Earth. Museum visitors will understand the technology of SOS and will recognize differences among past, real-time, and forecasted planetary data. They will appreciate how these data help humans monitor the Earth and will comprehend how human activities are influencing global processes now and might do so in the future. They will think about what actions need to be taken to support a healthy environment.
The SOS Partnership will develop ways to maximize the potential for museums to rapidly and readily refresh SOS content with current satellite datasets and will develop standardized SOS operation and maintenance protocols, thus facilitating adoption of SOS by other museums. The Partnership will develop means by which people can interact with SOS without the necessity of human mediation. MSC and SMM will experiment with how to use SOS to interest underserved audiences in science related careers. And the SOS partner museums will use SOS to test new partnership models for how informal science centers work with NOAA, other science research organizations, colleges and universities that broaden the educational impact of all groups.
The SOS Partnership will conduct a rigorous set of formative, remedial, and summative evaluations of this project. The evaluation work will be conducted both by museum staff and by an outside evaluator with considerable experience in evaluating these types of projects. Both SOS partner museums are committed to broadly disseminating information about SOS to the museum community and are already involved in activities that do so.

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Title: The Tech Museum Cooperative Agreement with NOAA for Installation of Science On a Sphere™ (SOS) (Installation award)
Institution: The Tech Museum of Innovation
PI: Greg Brown
Amount Awarded: $70,000
Abstract: This cooperative agreement will support the Tech Museum of Innovation (The Tech) in San Jose , California in acquiring SOS-related hardware and software, as well as providing the technical support to facilitate the installation of SOS in The Tech's Exploration Gallery in 2005-2006.
Science On a Sphere™ will be the focal point of The Tech Museum's newly renovated Explorations gallery. The dramatic sphere will draw visitors to the center of the 8,000 square-foot space. Hands-on experiences around the sphere will engage visitors in meaningful explorations of NOAA data. The Tech Museum will apply its exhibit and program development expertise to make SOS accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds, and educational levels. All panel text, audio, and captions will be presented in both English and Spanish to allow greater accessibility for local audiences.
The Tech's SOS system will focus on three topics of great interest to Californians:
Earthquakes, Oceans, Space. NOAA data will enable us to showcase the technology that is used to measure, monitor, and track environmental changes in our world. We hope to further address the potential of data modeling to aid in predicting the future state of the environment based on our actions.
The Tech is also opening a new environment exhibition, Green By Design (GBD) in 2006. This exhibit focuses on how sustainable design and technological innovation offer potential solutions to many of our global environmental challenges. SOS will provide a compelling centerpiece to support the educational purpose of this gallery as it effectively illustrates how data collected with remote sensing technologies are helping us understand and make predictions about our dynamic environment and the future of our planet. SOS will illustrate how these data collecting technologies assist us in developing our knowledge about our planet and its solar system.

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Title: The Tech Museum Environmental Literacy Programming Grant
Institution: Tech Museum of Innovation
PI: Greg Brown
Amount Awarded: $230,602
Abstract: The Tech Museum of Innovation (The Tech) in San Jose , California proposes to partner with NOAA to integrate Science On a Sphere™ (SOS) into The Tech's Exploration gallery and to facilitate the development of informal and formal learning programs. Exhibits and programs at The Tech focus on the integration of emerging technologies into hands-on visitor experiences.
In 2004, The Tech partnered with NOAA, the Maryland Science Center (MSC), and a consortium of national science centers to explore the potential and effectiveness of SOS as a method of engaging and informing the general public about NOAA-related sciences. Initial testing of SOS at the Maryland Science Center revealed that SOS is a visually compelling and engaging medium for conveying complex scientific information to museum visitors. Ninety-eight percent of visitors tested regarded a facilitated SOS program as a good or excellent experience with strong visitor retention suggesting the potential of SOS as a compelling visitor tool. However, when the experience was not facilitated this retention dropped dramatically. Support from NOAA will enable The Tech to test SOS and NOAA data in a number of formats to determine the most effective ways to utilize this incredible technology. The results of this evaluation will be shared with other museums using SOS to improve its reach in teaching informal audiences and promoting interest in both STEM content and NOAA research.
The SOS exhibit will bring together scientists, technologists, informal education specialists, and young users to unlock the educational potential of NOAA's datasets and further NOAA's educational plan. Hands-on experiences using SOS will engage visitors in meaningful explorations of NOAA data. The Tech Museum will make SOS accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds, and educational levels. All panel text, audio, and captions will be presented in both English and Spanish to allow greater accessibility for local audiences. SOS will provide the programming platform upon which to explore the educational opportunities of this gallery as it illustrates how data collected with remote sensing technologies is helping us understand and make predictions about our dynamic environment and the future of our planet. SOS will illustrate how these data collecting technologies assist us in developing our knowledge about our planet and its solar system.

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2006 - Priority 1 Abstracts:

Title: Building Ocean Literacy in our youth through unique learning experiences in our National Marine Sanctuaries
Institution: Camp SEA Lab/Foundation of California State University Monterey Bay
PI: Nicole Crane
Amount Awarded: $413,592
Abstract: This project aims to develop and implement residential and non-residential science camp and summer camp programs and related activities to over 1500 youth and teachers from 8 elementary and middle schools.  The NOAA/MBNMS MERITO program will serve as a key outreach mechanism to reach underserved youth and their families.  The proposed project will utilize existing ocean educational materials, including NOAA curricula, in experiential learning programs for youth through Camp SEA (Science, Education, Adventure) Lab.  The two major goals of the project are to: 1) Work closely with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to develop and implement marine-oriented outdoor science camp and summer camp programs, thus developing an effective model for dissemination of the Principles to large numbers of youth and their teachers.  A pilot MERITO summer program would be part of this; and 2) To develop a model and a feasibility plan to implement the program across a broader geographical area (eg. through other Sanctuary sites). 

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Title: Ocean Science - Formal and Informal Education for Ocean Literacy
Institution: Seattle Aquarium
PIs: Kathy Sider, Karen Matsumoto, Cherie Williams
Amount Awarded: $500,735
Abstract:  Ocean Science will integrate the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts into a Western Washington region-wide, coordinated program of formal and informal education consisting of: 1. Teacher professional development in the ocean sciences to integrate the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts into inquiry-based marine science education and instruction. 2. Evaluation and re-alignment of existing Sound Science ecosystems curricula into Ocean Science, incorporating NOAA data and promoting the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts.  3. Classroom programs, beach field investigations, and on-site programs at the Seattle Aquarium of the Olympic Coast national Marine Sanctuary’s Olympic Coast Discovery Center for grades 4-5 students, their parents and teachers. 4. Parent training in ocean science content, the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts, and inquiry-based methods for supporting their children’s science education. 5. Informal education for the general public via an interactive learning station linked to the Window on Washington Waters exhibit (opens spring 2007) and designed to innovatively use NOAA data and information (videos, computer simulations and other creative media) to increase and evaluate ocean literacy in adults and children.  Window on Washington Waters will display the outer coast marine environments and sea life of the Washington Olympic Coast national Marine Sanctuary.

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Title: Signals of Spring - ACES (Animals in Curriculum-based Ecosystem Studies)
Institution: U.S. Satellite Laboratory
PI: Glen Schuster
Amount Awarded: $599,861
Abstract: Signals of Spring ACES (Animals in Curriculum-based Ecosystem Studies), will use NOAA remote sensing data with curriculum-based activities for middle and high school students. Students use Earth imagery to explain the movement of animals that are tracked by satellite with NOAA’s ARGOS monitoring system. The project addresses the issues surrounding the animals and environments of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS).  Comprehensive teacher professional development will be delivered both onsite and online for 250 teachers. The project will impact 20,000 students and parents. Ten curriculum modules will be delivered to students, accompanied with an investigation of El Niño and animals, as well as ocean life and global climate change.  ACES will provide classrooms with the curricular area of conservation and the ecological issues surrounding the ocean, using marine animals as the engaging component.  Students will apply NOAA Earth data to animal migrations and the critical environmental issues that face these animals that are of depleting populations.  Once teachers and students have the necessary skills to interpret data, students will perform the ACES investigations. 

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2006 - Priority 2 Abstracts:

Title: CoCoRaHS: The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network - Enhancing Environmental Literacy through Participation in Climate Monitoring and Research
Institution: Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University
PIs: Nolan J. Doesken, Robert Cifelli
Amount Awarded: $585,005
Abstract: The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) involves thousands of people of all ages in the observation and study of weather, climate and water resources. In CoCoRaHS, citizens of all ages help measure and report rain, hail and snow from their own homes, schools and businesses.  These data are then efficiently collected via the internet, archived in a national database, and made immediately available to participants, scientists and the general public showing the fascinating patterns of precipitation from each passing storm. The measurement of precipitation and the patterns, variations and impacts that result, open the door to creative study of our environment.  It is the “lowest common denominator” of hydroclimatic exploration. In this project, data from the CoCoRaHS “citizen science” network will be shared with and utilized by NOAA partners to help monitor drought, to help detect local severe storms, to alert local authorities to developing flash flood situations, to provide “ground truth” for NOAA and NASA remote sensing technologies, and to provide verification for both local and national weather and climate forecast products. 

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Title: Interpreting Global Half-Hourly Cloud Observations to Promote Weather and Climate Literacy
Institution: American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
PIs: Rosamond Kinzler, Maritza MacDonald, Edward Gardiner, John Janowiak
Amount Awarded: $580,265
Abstract:  AMNH will use NOAA weather satellite data to annotate 72 high definition (HD) video time-series global cloud cover visualizations using thermal infrared brightness temperature data acquired by five geostationary satellites and joined into global mosaics at half-hourly intervals.  The HD visualizations will be used in informal and formal education activities and will be made available on the Web.  These media pieces will be used for informal education activities at AMNH and 28 other informal science institutions (ISI) around the United States .  The target population of visitors to subscribing ISIs is currently ten million and is projected to be over 15 million by the end of the grant.  The HD visualizations will be used in formal settings, as well.  Fifteen schools throughout New York City with large numbers of new English Language Learners will be targeted and professional development for teachers of ELL students will be provided through programs at AMNH as well. AMNH’s effort focuses on weather and climate patterns that will be visible in the cloud-data visualizations.  All viewers of the media will learn about general circulation patterns and changes in phase of water associated with the hydrologic cycle.

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2006 - SOS Abstracts:

Title: Bringing knowledge of planet earth to a wider audience, and bringing a diverse new group to careers in science teaching.
Institution: University of Colorado
PIs: Douglas Duncan, Francisco Salas, Nick Schneider
Amount Awarded: $24,966
Abstract:  Science On a Sphere (SOS) at Fiske Planetarium will raise awareness and understanding of Earth system science for over 30,000 visitors per year, using student docents and newly-developed, tested pedagogy. SOS will enhance Fiske’s ability to engage 3,000 university students and 30,000 K-12 students and members of the public.

A student docent program will transform the traditionally passive experience of a planetarium visit into an interactive learning opportunity. The docents will be drawn from two sources: undergraduates who will be future science teachers, who we take from a selective CU program called “STEM-TP”, and Hispanic university and high school students taught by Fiske's planetarium manager Francisco Salas. Docents will talk with visitors and help them understand key science issues that affect the earth, leading to more informed decision-making.

Fiske will develop bilingual pedagogical material and new data sets, and share them with NOAA and SOS sites. To support the docents, and visiting students and teachers, Fiske Education Manager Traub-Metlay will lead development of explanatory materials that challenge visitors and provide context for what they are seeing. These will be translated into Spanish by Fiske Manager Salas. New data sets, contributed by faculty members, will expand the range of SOS, into space, adding solar interior models, the celestial sphere, and the cosmic background radiation from the Big Bang, along with new terrestrial data such as the worldwide distribution of forest fires.

SOS will become a focal point in Fiske's longstanding tradition of teacher workshops, which are often done in cooperation with the University of Colorado and NOAA scientists and highlight NOAA’s role monitoring the earth and sun. It also will be integrated with a small suite of hands-on exhibits we are installing that explain how observations can be made in infrared, ultraviolet, and X-rays in addition to visible light. These would complement SOS, which features multi-wavelength data. Fiske and its Boulder Colorado-area partners have raised $75,000 to cover the full cost of SOS hardware, and have formal institutional commitments to long-term program development. This award from NOAA will go into materials development, evaluation, and student pay.

Colorado communities are aware of NOAA’s important work and the nearby David Skaggs Center , but security measures make it difficult to visit there. Fiske is much more accessible.  Fiske will improve the usefulness of all SOS sites by conducting formative evaluation to assess what kinds of SOS presentations work best with public and school audiences, giving feedback to NOAA and all SOS users.

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Title: Envirosphere Educational Project
Institution: McWane Science Center
PI: Angela Turner
Amount Awarded: $ 85,948
Abstract: McWane Science Center (McWSC) is a non-profit, interactive science museum committed to showing individuals how science and technology enrich our lives and help us solve problems. At McWSC, learning has become exciting, understandable and dynamic at a time when educational institutions are struggling to motivate students. McWane Science Center ’s mission has touched over 2 million visitors including almost a million children and youth since opening eight years ago. McWSC has a goal of extending the power of experiential learning to as many people as possible, particularly those who would otherwise not be able to do so on their own.  McWane Science Center continues to look for creative ways to offset the costs of exhibits and other operational expenses without compromising educational content for specific populations that can really benefit from what McWSC provides. This is why McWane Science Center is interested in the Science on a Sphere (SOS) exhibit.

SOS will serve as the focal point for McWane’s environmental education initiative, the Envirosphere Educational Project (the Project). The Project will provide environmental education and workforce development programs for an estimated 200,000 people. This number includes the general public, school groups from across the region, and 2,500 children in low-income communities from across the state of Alabama . Grants from Alabama Power Foundation and Honda Corporation will provide the necessary funds for the 2,500 disadvantaged children to visit McWSC and participate in the Project. The Project’s goals will be enhanced by other McWSC exhibits, including a planned weather station, with a variety of weather instruments as well the ability to track the weather at McWSC in real time. These exhibit pieces will complement SOS data sets and messages about the environment. All visitors will have the opportunity to go to the SOS exhibit and participate in environmental education programs led by McWSC Education Staff. Each program corresponds to one of SOS data sets and to the Alabama Course of Study Standards for elementary and secondary schools. Visitors will be evaluated on-site at McWSC by McWane’s partners in the Department of Science and Technology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Evaluation of the Project will be conducted through surveys, interviews and touch poll stations in order to ascertain how effective the Project is in promoting environmental literacy. The intended outcomes of the Project are to make complex environmental science concepts more accessible to people of all ages; to provide educational opportunities to children who would otherwise not have access to this type of information; to partner with local and state academic institutions, school boards and municipalities to improve environmental science curricula and awareness; and to increase the visitor’s knowledge of and peak his interest in science and its related applications to life.

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Title: The Global Decision Room
Institution: The Orlando Science Center
PI: Brian P. Tonner
Amount Awarded: $75,000
Abstract:  The Orlando Science Center has assembled a project team to create a unique environmental science learning tool: THE GLOBAL DECISION ROOM. Founded on, and enhancing, the Science On a Sphere (SOS) digital globe, the Global Decision Room is an interactive theatre that puts visitors in the role of being decision makers on behalf of the behavior of large populations on the planet. The results of global decisions relating to the environment are seen played out on SOS.

The interactive strategy that is created for the Global Decision Room will be flexible and well integrated into the SOS software platform, making it possible to design other educational story scenarios that can use the same system.

The Global Decision Room is designed as a multi-use, high impact, exciting content delivery platform. This proposal is based on a well developed initial educational premise, but the resulting construction of the Global Decision Room will be the perfect environment for other educational topics of interest to NOAA’s outreach strategy. As new datasets become available in the future, new interactive stories will be developed for the Global Decision Room.

The Orlando project brings with it significant additional funding from the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Orlando Utilities Commission, and the Florida Hydrogen Initiative, which will greatly leverage the funding from NOAA.

Partners in the project include a strong technical team from the University of Central Florida and the Florida Solar Energy Center, interactive digital media experts from the Institute for Simulation and Training, the creative design team “i.d.e.a.s.” located at Disney-MGM Studios, and the XhibitNet interactive multimedia design team.

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2007 abstracts are available in PDF form, click on the appropriate link in the above table to view the abstract.