CLEAN Teleconference Call April 14, 2020
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Design Our Climate
Abstract: The interactive electronic Design Our Climate simulation (DOCs) equips users to explore the paths we can take globally toward "net-zero" emissions in 2050 needed to meet the international commitments to keep average surface temperature increases below 1.5 °C by 2100. The simulation breaks down the seemingly intractable challenge of moving from our "business as usual" trajectory into 20 smaller challenges. Users can design our climate future by implementing mitigation strategies in five sectors: electricity, transportation, land use & agriculture, buildings, and materials. A "Reality Check" feature gives live feedback on the feasibility of each action and educates about the underlying assumptions that determine what is realistic. The DOCs simulation was developed by an interdisciplinary team of undergraduate students and faculty at The King's Centre for Visualization in Science (KCVS), with support from Energy Efficiency Alberta, as part of Accessible Solutions: Visualizing Energy Choices and Climate Implications Embedded in Alberta Narratives. This simulation joins the suite of free interactive tools digital learning resources provided by KCVS that are already used by over 500,000 students, educators and the public from over 100 countries each year. Lessons and activities for students to make effective use of DOCs are now available on the website and will be discussed. In the US, DOCS will be integrated into the climate change lessons developed by the National Centre for Science Education.
Learn more about the Design Our Climate simulation in the November, 2019 ACCN Canadian Chemical News.
Bios:
3M National Teaching Fellow Peter Mahaffy is Professor of Chemistry at the King's University in Edmonton and Director of the King's Centre for Visualization in Science (www.kcvs.ca), which provides digital learning resources used by over 500,000 students, educators and the public from over 100 countries each year. His current research and professional work is at the interfaces of systems thinking in chemistry education, the uses of interactive visualizations to facilitate the learning of science, sustainability/green chemistry, and the responsible uses of chemistry. He has been working on climate change science and its links to STEM education for 15 years, and he served on the American Chemical Society (ACS) presidential working group to help professional chemists communicate climate science to the public.
Before beginning her work as Project Manager for Accessible Solutions at the King's Centre for Visualization in Science, Dr. Melanie Hoffman developed engaging, student-led learning experiences in an inclusive, collaborative work environment as science faculty member at the innovative Quest University Canada, Squamish, BC.
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