Smithsonian Education Online Conference » Featured

Discussion: Please Introduce Yourself

Conference Coordinators — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:42:11 +0000

The Discussion areas are a place to introduce yourself to fellow participants and to post comments relating to each conference session. Jump in and share!

Please take a moment to introduce yourself to conference participants. You might like to tell us where you work, what city and country you are in, and about your interest in climate change. What do you hope to learn? What do you have to share regarding the study of climate change issues?

Add your introduction in the Comments box below. Or call the LearningTimes record-by-phone system to record an audio introduction; select audio messages will appear here as well. The number in US/Canada is 1-800-609-9006 x8055. (Outside of US/Canada, call 678-255-2174 x8055).

We look forward to meeting you!

- The Smithsonian Online Education Conference: Climate Change

“Inventing Our Way Out of the Climate Change Problem? Innovative Youth Tackle the Issue”

Conference Coordinators — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:55:04 +0000

What innovative ideas do you have for solving issues related to climate change? What are some things found in nature that provide inspiration for inventions that can help solve the climate crisis?

Response
Thursday, October 1, 2009
2:00 – 2:50 pm EDT
RECORDING AVAILABLE
Tricia Edwards Educator, Lemelson Center
National Museum of American History

Can new inventions help us with climate change issues? Edwards introduces us to the work of inventors concerned with sustainability issues, as well as to her own work in bringing young inventors and research scientists together on projects that address climate change. By showcasing their innovations, Edwards inspires all of us to tap into our creativity and scientific understanding in addressing issues that face us all.

“Looking Forward by Looking Back: What Does the Fossil Record Say About Climate Change?”

Conference Coordinators — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:48:48 +0000

Evidence
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
11:00 – 11:50 am EDT
RECORDING AVAILABLE
Scott Wing
Curator of Fossil Plants, Department of Paleobiology
National Museum of Natural History

What does the fossil record tell us about past changes in climate and the effects on plants and animals? Back from his most recent fieldwork in Wyoming, Scott Wing will share with us the exciting story of his discoveries about the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, a period over 55 million years ago when the average temperature of Earth warmed nine degrees in a geological instant. Wing’s work on plant fossils shows that the rapid warming was accompanied by decreasing rainfall and a radical shift in where plants lived. We will discuss the many parallels between this ancient episode and predicted future climate change.

A Welcome from the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

Conference Coordinators — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:26:07 +0000

Secretary G. Wayne Clough greets online conference participants, talks about the Smithsonian’s involvement in studying climate change, and shares insights from his recent field visit to Wyoming to examine evidence of climate change found in plant fossils.

G. Wayne Clough

Wayne Clough is the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Since beginning his tenure in July 2008, Secretary Clough has overseen several major openings at the Smithsonian, including the Sant Ocean Hall at the Museum of Natural History and the reopening of the American History Museum. He has initiated long-range planning for the Institution that will define the Smithsonian’s focus for the future.

Welcome to the Smithsonian Education Online Conference on Climate Change

This is the second of three scheduled conferences. The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies has made these conferences possible as part of the Smithsonian’s ongoing efforts to broaden the public’s access not only to our vast collections but also to the expertise of our renowned curators and scientists.

The first online conference in February (Abraham Lincoln) focused on our exhibitions and objects – the vast collections people usually associate with the Smithsonian. This conference highlights another strength of the Smithsonian, one that’s perhaps less in the public mind – the research that’s going on even as we speak in the areas of science, history, culture, and the arts.

Our unique ability to approach to a topic from multiple dimensions sets the Smithsonian apart from other organizations. It’s from these various perspectives that this conference will consider the evidence, impact and response to climate change.

Three thousand people participated in the live sessions of the Lincoln conference and another three thousand have watched replays since then. These people live in more than two thousand different cities in every state, in more than eighty countries, and on six continents. We’re sure you’ll find this conference equally thought-provoking and engaging.

When you register for the conference, you’ll notice the Center features the ginkgo leaf on the conference website. In the art of many cultures, the ginkgo symbolizes the balance between the natural and manmade worlds – a concern we’ll be looking at through the Smithsonian lenses of science, history, and art.