This activity relates water temperature to fishery health within inland freshwater watersheds …
This activity relates water temperature to fishery health within inland freshwater watersheds as a way to explore how environmental factors of an ecosystem affect the organisms that use those ecosystems as important habitat.
This seminar will explore the difficulties of getting agreement on global definitions …
This seminar will explore the difficulties of getting agreement on global definitions of sustainability; in particularly building international support for efforts to combat climate change created by greenhouse gas emissions as well as other international resource management efforts. We will focus on possible changes in the way global environmental agreements are formulated and implemented, especially on ways of shifting from the current "pollution control" approach to combating climate change to a more comprehensive strategy for taking advantage of sustainable development opportunities.
The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover …
The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material.
This course focuses on national environmental and energy policy-making; environmental ethics; the …
This course focuses on national environmental and energy policy-making; environmental ethics; the techniques of environmental analysis; and strategies for collaborative environmental decision-making. The primary objective of the course is to help students formulate a personal theory of environmental planning practice. The course is taught comparatively, with constant references to examples from around the world. It is required of all Graduate / Professional students pursuing an environmental policy and planning specialization in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. This course is the first subject in the Environmental Policy and Planning sequence. It reviews philosophical debates including growth vs. deep ecology, "command-and-control†vs. market-oriented approaches to regulation, and the importance of expertise vs. indigenous knowledge. Emphasis is placed on environmental planning techniques and strategies. Related topics "include the management of sustainability, the politics of ecosystem management, environmental governance and the changing role of civil society, ecological economics, integrated "assessment (combining environmental impact assessment (EIA) and risk assessment), joint fact finding in science-intensive policy disputes, environmental justice in poor communities of "color, and environmental dispute resolution. "Environmental Problem-Solving "(Susskind et al., 2017, Anthem Press), a video-enhanced eBook, provides students with full access to all the "assigned readings, faculty commentary on the readings, and examples of the best student performance on course assignments in previous years.
This class assesses current and potential future energy systems, covering resources, extraction, …
This class assesses current and potential future energy systems, covering resources, extraction, conversion, and end-use technologies, with emphasis on meeting regional and global energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. Instructors and guest lecturers will examine various renewable and conventional energy production technologies, energy end-use practices and alternatives, and consumption practices in different countries. Students will learn a quantitative framework to aid in evaluation and analysis of energy technology system proposals in the context of engineering, political, social, economic, and environmental goals. Students taking the Graduate / Professional version, Sustainable Energy, complete additional assignments.
Introduction to the Modeling and Analysis of Complex Systems introduces students to …
Introduction to the Modeling and Analysis of Complex Systems introduces students to mathematical/computational modeling and analysis developed in the emerging interdisciplinary field of Complex Systems Science. Complex systems are systems made of a large number of microscopic components interacting with each other in nontrivial ways. Many real-world systems can be understood as complex systems, where critically important information resides in the relationships between the parts and not necessarily within the parts themselves. This textbook offers an accessible yet technically-oriented introduction to the modeling and analysis of complex systems. The topics covered include: fundamentals of modeling, basics of dynamical systems, discrete-time models, continuous-time models, bifurcations, chaos, cellular automata, continuous field models, static networks, dynamic networks, and agent-based models. Most of these topics are discussed in two chapters, one focusing on computational modeling and the other on mathematical analysis. This unique approach provides a comprehensive view of related concepts and techniques, and allows readers and instructors to flexibly choose relevant materials based on their objectives and needs. Python sample codes are provided for each modeling example.
The Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin (IPAW) is a nonprofit membership-based organization …
The Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin (IPAW) is a nonprofit membership-based organization whose mission is to promote better stewardship of the natural resources of Wisconsin by advancing the understanding of invasive plants, preventing their introduction, and encouraging the control of their spread.
IPAW defines an invasive plant as one that invades native plant communities and impacts those native communities by displacing or replacing native vegetation.
Both a weed and an invasive plant are plants out of place, but an invasive plant encroaches into forests, roadsides, and prairies where it is unchecked by the devotions of an obsessive backyard gardener. The ramifications of invasive plants are so much more ominous than that of weeds because they can and do destroy the natural diversity of native vegetation.
Ironically, many invasive plants get their foothold through well-meaning gardeners who introduce the species as a lovely accent to their patch of paradise. However, many of these plants come from foreign lands and do not have the natural controls that a native plant has. Soon the nonnative plant takes over – first the garden and then, by propagating via the wind, through deep-set runners and by the cooperation of willing birds carrying the seeds, more distant places.
There are many plants that are invasive in Wisconsin. To ease you into an awareness of invasive plants without overwhelming you, IPAW has developed this list of Wisconsin’s Worst foreign invaders.
Students use media resources and an in-class investigation to explore the types …
Students use media resources and an in-class investigation to explore the types of energy within different types of systems. They also use the formulas for kinetic and potential energy to examine the path of a projectile.
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a scientist explains the unexpected …
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a scientist explains the unexpected heat source fueling widespread volcanic activity on Io, a moon of Jupiter that many had previously assumed to be frozen.
In this video from Science City, meet a forensic scientist. She describes …
In this video from Science City, meet a forensic scientist. She describes the steps to recover and analyze fingerprints to help solve crimes. She also discusses common attributes between art and science.
In this lesson for grades 1 and 2, students record observations and …
In this lesson for grades 1 and 2, students record observations and look for patterns while exploring weights on a balance scale. They balance equal and unequal weights and record their distances from the fulcrum. Students use a crayon (as the fulcrum) and a ruler to represent the balance. A printable record keeping sheet is provided.
This series of 5 high-quality, standards-aligned, inquiry-based activities and two environmental STEM challenge …
This series of 5 high-quality, standards-aligned, inquiry-based activities and two environmental STEM challenge activities have been field-tested by kindergarten students and families of Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science during Safer At Home orders. These activities encourage students to use natural areas around their homes and in their neigbhorhoods as they improve their science observation and reasoning skils as they explore the science of pushes and pulls in nature. The materials used are ones generally available at home and the activites require little preparation on the part of caregivers. Created as a part of a WISELearn OER Innovation project, Connect, Explore, and Engage: Using the Environment as the Context for Science Learning was a collaboration of the Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science and the Wisconsin Green Schools Network. One of the goals of the project was to create standards-aligned lessons that utilize the outdoor spaces of the school (as well as those of the students' homes). Each section of this resource is an individual activity. While each activity builds on the previous ones, it is possible to use them individually.The title image was used with permission and is courtesy of Joe Riederer.
This lesson incorporates the pursuits from Cultivating Genius (framework by Gholdy Muhammad) …
This lesson incorporates the pursuits from Cultivating Genius (framework by Gholdy Muhammad) to a science lesson that can be taught during the science lesson for kindergarteners on 'wants and needs'. Or what living things need to survive. K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to surviveThe Pursuits addressedIdentity is addressed in this lesson as students are thinking about what they need to learn and how it is similar and different from that of their peers. They are thinking about their individual role in helping the community reach the goal of everyone learning and why everyone learning is important to them. Intelligence is addressed as students are assessing their own skills and knowledge and putting it to an action of making their classroom community a better place. Joy is a pursuit addressed in this lesson as students will feel a strength in their own ability to change the community in a positive way for everyone, respecting the different needs of each student in the classroom and working towards a shared goal.
" This seminar is designed to be an experimental and hands-on approach …
" This seminar is designed to be an experimental and hands-on approach to applied chemistry (as seen in cooking). Cooking may be the oldest and most widespread application of chemistry and recipes may be the oldest practical result of chemical research. We shall do some cooking experiments to illustrate some chemical principles, including extraction, denaturation, and phase changes."
In this video profile produced for Teachers' Domain, meet La'ona DeWilde, an …
In this video profile produced for Teachers' Domain, meet La'ona DeWilde, an environmental biologist who integrates her Athabascan heritage and her Western scientific training to help remote Alaskan villages address environmental issues.
Despite major cultural, legal, and medical impediments the use of birth control, …
Despite major cultural, legal, and medical impediments the use of birth control, including abortion, by American women was widespread at the turn of the century. In their quest to control unwanted pregnancies, American women could be surprisingly resourceful in the methods they used. In this audio excerpt from a 1974 interview with historian Sherna Gluck, Miriam Allen deFord described methods of birth control in vogue in the 1910s, including spermicides, douches, the Dutch pessary (an early diaphragm), and the use of ergot pills to induce abortion.
This article includes lessons that elementary teachers can use to build the …
This article includes lessons that elementary teachers can use to build the foundations of climate literacy while meeting elementary science standards. Lessons are paired with literacy activities as well.
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