Understanding climate change through simulations and systems thinking

该项目正在开发、改进和评估一套模拟和系统思维练习，使学生能够调查地球气候和人类能源系统及其对强迫因素变化的复杂反应。科学合理且易于使用的软件模型可为学生提供快速反馈，帮助他们应对系统随时间推移对各种输入假设的响应。学生能够承担多个利益相关者的角色，并快速探索气候敏感性和强迫因素变化时的假设情景，这有助于理解潜在的系统概念。这个项目的智力价值在于它有良好的计划，让学生积极参与，这让他们面对对复杂系统的常见误解，并促进对系统动力学的更稳健的理解。更广泛的影响包括软件和方法的现成可用性，以便在其他地方采用，以及方法在一系列学科中的广泛适用性。

This project is developing, refining and evaluating a suite of simulations and systems-thinking exercises which enable students to investigate earth's climate and human-energy systems and their complex responses to changes in forcing factors. Scientifically sound and easy-to-use software models provide rapid feedback as students grapple with system responses over time to a variety of input assumptions. The ability of students to assume the roles of multiple stakeholders and quickly explore 'what if' scenarios as climate sensitivity and forcing factors are varied promotes understanding of underlying systems concepts. The intellectual merit of this project lies in its well-grounded plans for active engagement of students which confronts them with common misconceptions of complex systems and promotes more-robust understanding of system dynamics. The broader impacts include ready availability of the software and approaches for adoption elsewhere and wide applicability of the approach across a range of disciplines.