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SciCheer’s sister site, ScienceForCitizens.net, is a partner in this three-part series. I also had the pleasure of working with Discover, NBC and the NSF to produce the series.
Here’s more information from NBC News:
This town hall broadcast is the second in a 3-part series that brings together scientists, thought leaders and students for a discussion on the issues of climate science.
The Weather Channel announced that it will air a “Changing Planet: Clean Energy, Green Jobs, and Global Competition” on Tuesday, July 26th at 9 PM/ET. NBC News Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent Anne Thompson moderated the event, which was hosted by George Washington University. The town hall meeting is the second in a three-part series produced under a partnership between NBC Learn (the educational arm of NBC News), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Discover magazine.
The “Changing Planet” town hall series is intended to encourage student learning and to open a dialogue about climate change by gathering scientists, thought leaders, business people, and university students to discuss the facts of climate science, understand their implications, brainstorm solutions and even get involved in real research through citizen science projects on ScienceForCitizens.net.
“Today’s technology allows us to think about new energy options that impact the planet less and help the economy more,” said Thompson. “It is critical that we have these important discussions about how clean energy and the economy can go hand in hand, in order to bring the best solutions to the spotlight.”
This edition of “Changing Planet” brings together over 100 students and features four leading experts from the science and business communities: Chris Busch, Director of Policy and Program at Apollo Alliance; Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Chief Executive Officer of Green For All; Timothy Juliani, Director of Corporate Engagement at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change; and Ken Zweibel, Director at the GW Solar Institute.
Here’s a preview clip of the panelists at the “Changing Planet” town hall explaining why the U.S. is lagging behind other countries on clean energy, and what can be done about it:
The program will re-air on The Weather Channel on Tuesday, July 26 at 11 PM/ET and Wednesday, July 27 at 3 AM/ET. In addition, it will re-air on Saturday, July 30 at 9PM/ET and Sunday, July 31 at 12 AM/ET, 3 AM/ET and 6 PM/ET, and will be available for viewing online on www.nbclearn.com/climate. and discovermagazine.com and ScienceForCitizens.net. A special print adaptation of “Changing Planet” will appear in the September 2011 issue of Discover magazine, available on August 9.
The first “Changing Planet” town hall was hosted at Yale University in January of 2011 and was moderated by NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw. Video of that event can be found here. The final town hall will be held at Arizona State University on August 25. [If you’d like to attend, kindly refer to the evite at the bottom of this post.]
The “Changing Planet” series is taped before a live audience at each university, produced by www.nbclearn.com/climate., and underwritten by NSF, in cooperation with Discover magazine.
In addition to the “Changing Planet” town halls, NBC Learn and NSF are working together to produce a series of 17 reports looking at the impact of climate change in various locations around the world. From Bermuda’s tropical seas to the Arctic Ocean, each story follows scientists in the field who are studying the dramatic impacts of rising temperatures in the air, in the water, and on land. The series is narrated by Anne Thompson.
Designed for use in the classroom, each report is correlated to state standards and includes a lesson plan with activities created by the “Windows to the Universe” project team at the National Earth Science Teachers Association, led by Dr. Roberta Johnson. The videos are available on www.nbclearn.com/climate., nsf.gov, and Windows2Universe.org, and are available for widespread broadcast and digital distribution.
About NBC Learn
NBC Learn is the educational arm of NBC News dedicated to providing resources for students, teachers, and lifelong learners. The online resources NBC Learn has created for the education community leverages nearly 80 years of historic news coverage, documentary materials, and current news broadcasts. The NBC News Archives on Demand feature gives students and teachers access to thousands of video clips from the NBC News archives, including great historic moments–from the Great Depression to the Space Race to the latest political coverage. NBC Learn also offers primary source materials, lesson plans and classroom planning resources, and additional text and image resources from our content partners.
About the National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, its budget is about $6.9 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives over 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
About Discover
Now in its 31st year of publication, Discover magazine covers a wide range of topics related to science and technology. Key subjects include physics; astronomy and space exploration; the brain; medicine; biology and evolution; and energy and the environment. Both in print and online, the magazine’s award-winning staff brings these topics to life with the help of the leading science writers and photographers. Discover is the largest general science interest magazine in the world, with over six million readers every month.
About The Weather Channel Companies
The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) are made up of The Weather Channel® television network, The Weather Channel digital properties, and WSI. The Weather Channel is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 100 million U.S. households. TWCC also operates Weatherscan®, a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. The digital properties of TWCC, which include the weather.com® site, The Weather Channel Desktop and The Weather Channel Mobile, reach more than 40 million monthly unique users, are the most popular source of online weather news and information, and offer the second most popular mobile application on all smart phones. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit www.weather.com/press.
About Science For Citizens
ScienceForCitizens.net is a website that connects regular people to real science they can do. It’s the place to find out about, take part in, and contribute to science through recreational activities and research projects. For scientists, this is the place to tell eager citizens about research and get them interested in helping out. ScienceForCitizens.net brings together the millions of citizen scientists in the world; the thousands of potential projects offered by researchers, organizations, and companies; and the resources, products, and services that enable citizens to pursue and enjoy these activities.
