Workshop on Atmospheric Science and Climate Literacy

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Project funds are being used to convene a Workshop on Atmospheric Science and Climate Literacy in order to develop a consensus framework for enhancing atmospheric science and climate literacy in our nation. Approximately 60 teachers, scientists, informal educators, and policy makers are being invited to attend the workshop, which will be held in late November at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). The workshop agenda is being designed with assistance from an Organizing Committee composed of atmospheric and climate scientists representing universities, public agencies, and professional societies that are stakeholders in conveying accurate, cutting edge atmospheric and climate research outcomes to students and the public. The workshop will build on the foundational efforts already completed in developing science content standards, benchmarks, and concept maps that relate basic principles to the fields of atmospheric and climate sciences for K-12 audiences. Participants will also draw from results of recent collaborations in defining science literacy for the ocean and climate sciences, revising and expanding them to encompass and concisely present a framework for student and public science literacy in the atmospheric and climate sciences. The framework emerging from the workshop will provide an important next step in preparing Americans to live in and positively contribute to a dynamic and changing world. It will be useful to curriculum specialists, science centers and museums, state and federal agencies, and educators at all levels who develop resources and programs that enhance scientific knowledge and understanding for their target audiences. The intended outcome is to enhance the overall scientific literacy of the populous, as well as to inspire and educate a new generation of scientists who are prepared for research in the atmospheric and climate sciences.