Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

You may think of climate science as distinct from astronomy, but the differences are not so important to the public. Both disciplines use the same basic physics, and many aspects of climate science come from astronomy (e.g., Venus). In this presentation, IŐll focus on why the public popularity of astronomy gives us a unique platform for advancing public understanding of global warming. IŐll emphasize the importance of approaching the topic 'with inspiration, not fear,' providing concrete examples of strategies for audiences ranging from school kids to the general public. Note: Many of the examples will be drawn from my book A Global Warming Primer, posted free online at globalwarmingprimer.com, and my free middle school climate curriculum (bigkidscience.com/climatechange).

About Jeffrey Bennett

Jeff Bennett (Ph.D., astrophysics, U. Colorado 1987) specializes in math and science education, writing for and speaking to audiences ranging from elementary age to college faculty. Current projects include ongoing work on his college textbook “The Cosmic Perspective”; the Story Time From Space program, which features his six children’s books read aboard the International Space Station; the free solar eclipse app "Totality by Big Kid Science" (bigkidscience.com/eclipse); building scale model solar systems (voyagesolarsystem.org); a focus on global warming education (globalwarmingprimer.com); and a free online textbook for middle school Earth & Space Science (grade8science.com).

Watch a recording of this talk (external link)