Using NOAA Tech-knowledge to inspire young scientists
Nadia Sbeih
NOAA Coastal Services Center - Pacific Services Center
NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS)
The team from NOAA’s Pacific Region is inspiring the next generation of scientists by bringing NOAA science to life. Recently, they have visited a variety of venues and wowed both young and old alike with several exciting education tools including Spherical Science on the Go!, NOAA’s Second Life virtual world, and TERRI the educational robot.
The NOAA Pacific Region team was a major sponsor of the 51st Annual State of Hawaii Science and Engineering Fair. NOAA personnel from across the agency served as science fair judges, gave presentations, met with students and presented 14 awards for agency-related science projects. The biggest prize of the day was the 'Discover Your World with NOAA' award which was given to a project about Watershed Restoration on the Island of Molokai. The award included a trip to a NOAA research facility to meet with agency scientists and researchers.
NOAA’s Pacific Services Center developed a series of visualizations to show global patterns and data sets on climate change, plate tectonics, and seasonal weather to use with the “Spherical Science on the Go!” exhibit. Magic Planet, as it is known, is like a miniature Science on a Sphere and it dazzles while educating people about NOAA’s research. This stunning exhibit was a crowd pleaser as it traveled to the State Science Fair, the Bishop Museum’s Mad About Science event, and a reception held at the Outrigger Hotel reception in support of the week long series of events.
Venturing further into the world of high-tech to excite people about NOAA, the Pacific Region team sponsored demonstrations of the NOAA Second Life islands, an online virtual world that highlights NOAA’s science. Students were able to virtually fly aboard a Hurricane Hunter, experience and learn about tsunamis, and explore marine sanctuaries.
When they weren’t visiting NOAA’s virtual world, students spent time with TERRI, an interactive educational robot who knows nearly everything there is to know about NOAA. With his trademark wit and sarcasm, TERRI answered students’ questions about NOAA and quizzed them on what they had learned. During his visit, TERRI found time to visit several local weather forecasters, judge an ocean-themed art contest, make several classroom visits, and serve as a special guest at the Bishop Museum’s Mad About Science event.
To see NOAA and TERRI in action:
http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8109993
or
http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/5247/108/
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