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Global warming, pollution, shrinking animal and plant habitats, devastating earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones: the headlines and broadcasts warn of what appears to be a wholesale unraveling of the earth.

These accounts are disturbing enough for most of us, but they create a great deal of anxiety in today’s youth.  Many young people have a difficult time relating to the natural phenomena that shape the world they will inhabit for the next 70 – 80 years, and that lack of knowledge can breed fear -- “What kind of world are we inheriting?” “Are we helpless in the face of these global climatic and tectonic events?” Older generations can empathize. Anyone who experienced the Cold War should be able to recall the emotions that ran through them when they were participating in nuclear attack drills and were instructed to crawl under their desks or seek out fallout shelters.

If future generations are to confront climatic changes and learn how to reduce the effects of major weather and geologic events they need to better understand the natural world around them. Increased urbanization has resulted in entire generations of young people who have almost no first-hand knowledge about the natural world. It is no wonder that many do not see how they can make a difference in the reduction of greenhouse gases or in the prediction of potential catastrophes such as the 2004 Asian Tsunami that caused so much tragedy in Southeast Asia.

Earth Force, a Denver-based non-profit devoted to educating youth about the environment states it this way: “The problem is not a shortage of environmental information. There is plenty of information with media saturation of environmental stories at an all time high. The problem is that we have not fostered young people’s ability to critically assess that information and use it to make sound choices.” [Source: http://www.earthforce.org/section/aboutef]

Rather than being helpless observers, children imbued with knowledge of the environmental and earth sciences can be participants in mitigating the effects of natural phenomena that seem to be out of control. And the knowledge about how the Earth works and how every individual bears some responsibility for its welfare can be introduced at the earliest levels of education. The value of this lesson is exemplified by the amazing story of 10-year-old Tilly Smith, of England, who is credited with saving her family and as many as 100 other tourists in Phuket, Thailand, because she recognized the ominous indications of the 2004 tsunami based on a school geography lesson.  [Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1480192/Girl%2C-10%2C-used-geography-lesson-to-save-lives.html]

The teaching of earth science, which can include math, biology, chemistry and physics along with the usual geology, geography and meteorology disciplines, can equip children with the understanding and confidence that humanity must and can deal effectively with these issues.

The good news is that teachers can use inexpensive and easy-to-use resources such as linear distance, pH, photo gate, temperature, and voltage probes connected to data streaming devices. A cost-effective and portable solution is to use graphing calculators that have inputs to accept the sensor data and display it in graphical form.

For example, students can build small earth model environments such as terrariums and alter exposure to light, moisture and temperature to see the effects these produce. Through the use of calculators connected to sensors, students can see dramatic changes graphically as they happen.  The portability of these systems means that teachers can set up temporary weather stations and other experiments either on campus or on trips to the field.

Of course, exercises to study the environment can be done independent of sensors. By using data gathered by the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric and National Aeronautics and Space administrations (NOAA and NASA), students can conduct trend analysis using graphing calculators. For example, historical data for rainfall of San Antonio, Texas, compared with similar data for Seattle show that the former will become wetter than the “Rainy City.” When that would happen is easy to demonstrate using the analysis functions of the graphing calculator.

Kids respond well to experiments where they can set up, monitor and analyze actual effects rather than simply learning from a book or video – as the old proverb says, “Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand.” Through the use of inexpensive calculators and sensing equipment, children can get hands-on, real-time feedback to transform the abstract information they get from the news media and bring it life.

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By Wing Kin Cheung, general manager, Calculator Division, HP

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