10/30/2020
By Amy Allen
This project aims to engage students, teachers, parents, and the general public with the science of extreme weather. The project centers on statewide K-12 student art competitions about science. Additionally, workshops about science content and art techniques are offered for mentors who work with youth in informal settings.
All K-12 age youth in Kansas, Massachusetts and Missouri are encouraged to create a visual work of art to address one of three questions about extreme weather. Winning entries are put on public display on regional buses and presented at annual celebrations and exhibits.
The National Science Foundation supported project is particularly exciting because it brings science education to many different populations, from mentors, to youth, to bus riders in various locations in the country. Cool Science is a collaborative effort between the UMass Boston’s School for the Environment; UMass Lowell’s College of Education and Art and Design Department; the Massachusetts College of Art and Design; the Transportation Center at the University of Kansas; the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, University of Kansas; Kansas State University; the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston; and Goodman Research Group, Inc.
More information about Cool Science can be found at coolscience.net The Cool Science team includes principal investigator Jill Hendrickson Lohmeier from the Climate Change Initiative.