Many studies show that climate change has already begun to affect natural and societal systems, and even the most optimistic international agreements allow for continued greenhouse gas increases and significant future climate change. Ongoing climate impacts will be monitored by a growing array of observational systems, both space and land-based, while projections of impacts are made by complex global climate models. To advance the use of these "forecast" systems, colleges and universities are advancing the level of training in model development within traditional Earth and atmospheric science departments, and simultaneously expanding training in the use of climate models and model output to non-traditional areas -- biology and chemistry departments, centers of public health and learning science, and business and law schools. To keep pace with this demand, climate modelers and educators need to transform the primary climate science tools for delivery to users well beyond the walls of climate research institutions.

In the emerging economy it is critical that we prepare the next generation to make use of the tools-of-the-trade and the data they produce, because many professions will require a workforce trained to recognize climate impacts before they happen. This will help society adapt sensibly and efficiently to climate change, make responsible decisions about mitigation strategies, and avoid any disastrous consequences. Our project will put NASA's functional climate models into the hands of educators and students who otherwise wouldn't have access to such advanced capabilities. To do this we will work with the NASA/GISS climate model development, several universities and community and technical colleges to upgrade and test a suite of Educational Global Climate Modeling software and associated curriculum materials. The project will allow students to: 1. Learn the fundamentals of how climate change projections are made 2. Setup and operate actual climate model experiments 3. Analyze the resulting data 4. Provide hands-on activities with real-world tools that are applicable to real world problems 5. Tie instruction to current events, local needs, and job opportunities, so students can appreciate the significance of the science 6. Take advantage of existing school computing resources, whether that is laptops, shared labs, or supercomputers.