Instructional Resources on Weather and Climate for Middle School Workshop

Register Here

When: Saturday, November 2, 2019

Time: 8:00 AM - 1:15 PM

Location: Lawrence Technology University, Science Building 7, S-321

21000 West Ten Mile Road

Southfield, MI 48075

Workshop Poster

Registration:  Limited to 50 Participants

Cost: $30.00 (Includes a one-year membership to MDSTA and 4 SCECH's)

To make science education in the United States internationally competitive, multiple states collaborated to create Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to provide benchmarks to elevate, enhance and enrich STEM education across all grades and disciplines.  MDSTA is developing a series of workshops to offer various NGSS strands for elementary, middle, and high school educators. 

The first workshop for Middle School teachers will focus on Weather and Climate.  We’ll be featuring an exciting speaker and expert climatologist Dr. Jeffrey Andresen.  Jeff Andresen is Professor of meteorology/climatology with Michigan State University’s Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Extension Specialist with Michigan State University Extension, and the State Climatologist for Michigan. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Andresen served with the National Weather Service and with the USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board in Washington, D.C. He currently serves as director of Michigan’s Enviro-weather information system which supports agricultural pest and production management-related decision-making across the state, as co-director of the Great Lakes Regional Science Assessment Center, and as an extension specialist maintaining an active outreach program including dissemination of weather and climate data and related information to the general public and continuing education activities. The primary focus of Andresen’s research has been the influence of weather and climate on agriculture, both in the USA and in international production areas.  

Workshop Agenda:

8:00 – 8:30 -- Welcome Check-in and Continental Breakfast — Room S-321 Science Building

8:30-9:30 -- Speaker– State Climatologist and Professor of Geography, Dr. Jeffrey Andresen, MSU Dept. of Geography — Room S-321 Science Building

Content - Weather and Climate general introduction and discussion. How climate change and global warming affects weather in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

9:45 – 10:45 — Alternating Breakout Session A and B- Room 

Session A:  AREN Project -- Using Kites to Learn About Our Atmosphere - Room S-211 Science Building

Content - The AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network (AREN) introduces NASA technologies and practices in authentic, experiential learning environments. Low-cost instrumented systems for in-situ and remotely sensed Earth observations include kite-based “AEROKATS.”

Session B:  GLOBE/Mission Earth -- Clouds and Surface Temperature -- S-304 Science Building 

Content - Dr. Czajkowski, lead scientist for the GLOBE Urban Heat Island Effect campaign, needs your students to collect surface temperature data and upload the data to the GLOBE. Start your training with the following GLOBE Protocols: Clouds and Surface and Air Temperature today. 

11:00 – 12:00 — Alternating Breakout Session A and B Repeated

12:15 – 1:15 -- Closeout Session:  Explore weather phenomena with GLOBE Weather! -- Room S-321 Science Building

Content - Developed by the GLOBE Program and BSCS to directly address Next Generation Science Standards, this FREE five-week curriculum unit is designed to help middle school students understand weather at local, regional, and global scales.  Creation of a Weather and Climate Unit Community. 

SURPRISE GIVEAWAYS FOR THE FIRST 10 REGISTRANTS!