Breaking Down Barriers
Supporting Community Engagement and Effective Science Communication
In Case of Cellulose dives into the digestive tracts of four species - human, panda, horse and cow; and explores how cellulose is digested differently.
October 21, 2019
Misconceptions about evolution are addressed in Geology Park as participants must travel a scaled model of deep time. In addition to exploring the radiations of important phylogenetic groups, participants can also collect data useful in reconstructing the past.
September 27, 2019
This project uses Climatograms to determine change in precipitation over the last 100 years, using Pittsburgh, PA as a reference point. Participants pick a time point and build the precipitation for that year using counting cubes.
September 27, 2019
The activity, Climate Change on File: Trees as Environmental Secretaries, describes many environmental conditions that trees rely on and face and how they become recorded in their wood. The activity focuses on the relationship between precipitation and growth-ring size in trees.
September 5, 2019
Choose from three modular activities to achieve linked learning goals. In the first, historic vs. contemporary photos of the same glaciers dramatically illustrate the retreat of mountain ice.
September 4, 2019
"Star Grazing" is about understanding the impacts of rising temperatures on the nutrient cycle of marine life. In this activity, participants discover that sea star populations are decreasing while mussel populations rise, which causes biodiversity to decrease overall.
September 4, 2019
Engage in a climate-health discussion focused on the spread of West Nile virus, transmitted by mosquitoes which flourish during the warmer, wetter conditions brought about by climate change. At the conclusion of the activity, participants create a climate-health emoji.
August 28, 2019
As the climate continues to change, we see changes to the hydrologic cycle occurring worldwide.
August 16, 2019
Mosquito populations are predicted to extend their ranges to new areas as a result of climate change. This brings about concerns for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, and West Nile.
August 16, 2019
Many cities act as urban heat islands, significantly warmer than their surrounding areas due to human activities. Our warming climate will only make these cities hotter, leading to intense heat waves and lowered quality of life.
August 12, 2019
Warming oceans and melting landlocked ice caused by global climate change may result in rising sea levels. This rise in sea level combined with increased intensity and frequency of storms will produce storm surges that flood subways, highways and homes.