Education Leadership
Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change
Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change is a National Science Foundation sponsored Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT). A2C2 is a doctoral training program for students in earth sciences, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, international affairs, and economics. It is designed to train the next generation of natural and social scientists to meet the critical societal challenge of human adapatation to abrupt climate change (ACC).
Virtual Fieldwork in Greenland
Have your students ever wondered what it would be like to do climate change research? How about to visit the Arctic? Now you can give them a taste with this inquiry-based Virtual Fieldwork Experience (VFE). Students and teachers gain exclusive access into cutting edge research from the University of Maine Climate Change Institute. With documentary footage, real data from the Arctic, and a GIS layer for Google Earth visualization, this VFE introduces students to concepts from biology, lake ecology, earth science, and climate studies. The tool was designed using current best practices for engaging diverse learners (including English Language Learners) in science classrooms and provides a video introduction allowing students to see and hear key terms prior to engaging with data. It can be used to meet components of the following Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) disciplinary core ideas:
- MS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- MS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems
High School
- HS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- HS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
- HS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems
A Video Introduction
Virtual Fieldwork in Greenland Online Presentation: Access the video and data
The Teacher’s Guidebook: Information about Virtual Fieldwork and how to use this tool
A Taste of the Arctic: a narrative account of the research by Emily J. Rice
The Google Earth layer can be accessed by downloading the .kmz file.
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Arctic System Science program (Grant 1203434 to J.E. Saros), the U.S. Department of Education award T365Z110040 at the University of Maine and the National Science Foundation award EPS-0904155 to Maine EPSCoR Sustainability Solutions Initiative. This work contributes to Project Reach at the University of Maine. Virtual Fieldwork in Greenland was designed and produced by Emily J. Rice as a Communication and Journalism graduate student with the support of her adviser Dr. Laura A. Lindenfeld and Project Reach. It features Dr. Jasmine Saros, Associate Director and Professor from the University of Maine Climate Change Institute and the School of Biology and Ecology. Photography and cinematography by Benjamin Burpee and Emily J. Rice. Special thanks to: Robert Northington PhD, Steve Juggins PhD, Daniel Capps PhD, and Don Duggan-Haas PhD.
Juneau Ice Field Research Program
JIRP an expeditionary field research and education program for Earth science students. Learn more.