Currently in its pilot phase and set to roll out to other schools in September 2018, the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) has launched MELT, a project that offers students the chance to contribute to the understanding of our planet’s environmental changes.
MELT – Monitoring the environment, learning for tomorrow.
Like many science teachers, I have a passion for the environment. I had pursued Zoology and marine science research before entering teaching, so when Becky Parker, the infectiously energetic Director of the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) asked if I wanted to pilot a new project backed by the UK Space Agency I didn’t hesitate for a second. This new initiative gives students the chance to become Carbon Researchers, Climate Force Ambassadors and Earth Observation Scientists, thus having a real impact on students and garnering potential to transform the legacy of science in their lives. Through this project, students are not simply learning about science, they are actively doing science and engaging with it on a deep level.
The MELT project asks students, “What can you do to change the world?” and has set up a challenge for them to get started, first by understanding the impact of our carbon footprint through scientific observation of the delicate Arctic environment, and second by developing creative approaches to carbon reduction in their own lives. There are two parts to the programme: one involves monitoring changes in polar ice using Earth Observation data alongside Dr Anna Hogg and the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) at the University of Leeds, and the other involves calculating the carbon footprint of their own lives, including in their home and school.
Students as Earth Observation researchers
For the Earth Observation element of the project, students can actually contribute to scientific understanding of our planet’s environmental changes. Icebergs are produced in a natural process known as ‘calving’, and recently, some dramatic changes have been captured, which may suggest that the environmental conditions within the region have changed. Using images captured by satellites from the Sentinel-1 mission, students can monitor the changes in the polar regions and then via the CPOM portal, they can share their findings for other scientists to build upon. Through engaging with and interpreting the images and data, they develop ICT skills commensurate with university level applications and provide a real challenge to the next generation of climate scientists.
Dr Hogg highlighted how students on this project are directly engaging with major, ongoing research: “There are really exciting opportunities for students to work with Earth Observation scientists on major changes at the poles. We used Sentinel-1 satellite data to watch a giant iceberg four times the size of London break free from Antarctica’s Larsen-C ice shelf in 2017, and now students can use the same data to measure if new icebergs calve off some of the fastest flowing glaciers in the world!”
Students as Carbon Researcher pioneers
MELT also challenges schools to calculate their carbon footprint by using a new online carbon calculator. This intuitive tool requires students to work with members of staff on the school’s site and administration team, conducting student voice surveys and making calculations using gas, water and electricity usage, waste production and staff and student travel to and from school, including meetings and school trips.