Week 3: February 18th

For this week, there was only one EnergyNET session since the Tuesday session was cancelled due to bad weather.  On Thursday the teens spent the day working on a solution based project, in which they were split into different groups (environmentalists, fossil fuel companies, and local government) and each were given specific roles.  The project dealt with building new communities in Eastern Pennsylvania, and the students had to work together to decide where to build the community along with determining whether to use wind turbines, fossil fuels, or a combination of both as their electricity source.

The teens split into the three groups working with each other to decide what would be the best option for each of their specific positions.  The teens then talked to other groups to debate and negotiate their standpoints to figure out an outcome.  Most came to a decision, but they continued their discussion the following session until a final result was reached.

Students working in groups on solution based project

Week 2: February 9th & 11th

February 9th

For this session, we first started off by splitting into two groups and played the “celebrity game”, where a team member was given a name of a person/something and the rest of the group had to guess what it was in a certain amount of time.  There were four rounds played, each round with a different variation of charades.

The continued focus of EnergyNet from last week into this week was acid rain; how it is formed, how it effects ecosystems, and ways the prevalence of acid rain can be reduced. To do this Justin gave a talk on power plant emissions, specifically Sulfur Dioxide and Nitric Oxides, ways these emissions can be reduced, and how acid rain affects ecosystems, primarily its affects on soil. One thing the teens wanted to know more about though was how acid rain affected animal life in these ecosystems, this led to a discussion on food webs and how changes in one part of a system can have drastic consequences for the entire food web.

Next, we had a discussion on what pH was by listing what the teens already knew and having Justin discuss it more in length.  It was then used to discuss the relationship with acid rain and how having rain with a lower pH will make it more acidic.  The teens then discussed the process of how acid rain is formed and what the major effects of it are on our environment.

Using the information learned and discussed about acid rain, the teens were then split into two groups and given time to create and film an acid rain skit.  Each group created their own props, and both were filmed in the Hall of Habitats.  After it was filmed, both groups recapped what they learned and were mainly focused on how habitats are being destroyed, affecting both plant and animal life.

                                                                               

The teens acting out, in a play-form, how the process of acid rain formation and its effects on plants and animals.

February 11th

On Thursday the focus shifted away from teaching about air quality problems and more towards designing the exhibit. To start this off we discussed what we wanted the exhibit to look like and the major goals for the exhibit. Following this we went on a tour of the space where the exhibit will be housed to see how this would affect the design of the final exhibit. After this we went to look at an example of a well designed exhibit, the new Pterosaurs exhibit at the museum. After the teens had awhile to examine the design elements and see what people liked and didn't like about the exhibit we returned to the classroom to discuss what everyone had discovered. The highlight of the day had yet to come though, to end the day everyone was treated to a tour of the amphibians and reptiles section of the museum including a behind the scenes look at some of the research being done!

Teens looking at some of the specimens housed at the museum

Week 1: February 2nd and 4th

February 2nd

Welcome Back!

We welcomed the new semester by performing some icebreaker activities and meeting the new teens and interns. It was great seeing all of the old and new faces! After the introductions we  recapped last semester's projects. We broke into our teams and presented our museum exhibit pieces to the group. Then we went over what we'll be doing over the course of the spring semester. We have a lot of exciting things in store!

After going over this semester's plan we practiced our observation and research skills. The teens and interns observed unrelated materials in a shoe box and answered small-detail oriented questions about the items. Through this game the teens leaned the importance of taking good-quality notes and paying close attention to detail. After the game the teens broke up into groups and researched why Pittsburgh has the 9th worse air quality in the nation. The teens came up with a lot of great answers including causes such as industry, geography and urbanization.

We wrapped up today's session by revealing our project teams for the semester. We're looking forward to what's in store this term! 

The teens and interns in their project groups.

The teens and interns in their project groups.

February 4th 

Today we started off with a game in the hall of sculpture.  They each randomly picked two people that they had to move to be equal distance from.  Everyone picked different people which made things complex and interesting!  The game paralleled the inter-connectivity of the climate system.

Next, we had a discussion on climate change.  We went over some background information, some causes and effects, future predictions and why there are some who deny climate change is occurring.

Then, we performed an experiment that simulated the effects of greenhouse gases.  We filled plastic bottles each with air, carbon dioxide, and moist air.  We placed the bottles under lamps and tested how the different gases contributed to the change in temperature in the bottles!

Lastly, we had a "Big Picture" discussion about the experiment.  We discussed positive and negative feedback loops and why they are important when talking about greenhouse gases.

 Justin leading a discussion on feedback loops. 

                                                    

Week 5 November 19th

Today was started out by playing a quick game then each group shared their exhibit/prototype ideas so far. We bounced ideas off each other and refined them a bit.

Next, we traveled upstairs to the museum floor and met with Mallory Vopal who manages the floor spaces on the museum. She gave us a good idea of what places would be great for setting up our prototypes.

From there, we headed back to the classroom and worked diligently on our prototypes until the end of the day. We also tested some of our work on other groups in order to get some feedback.

Week 5 November 17th

Today we started off with an introduction to Ricardo Washington, a game designer who came to help us better decided how we want to present our exhibits. We then identified areas of interest to communicate to the public in our group. This decided what subject matter our prototypes would focus on.

From there, Ricardo spoke a lot about how games are designed to entice people as well as communicate something. He then explained briefly how this information could be used and applied to a museum exhibit.

Next we set up a "Climate Playground" of various prototypes of museum games and activities. The teens were encouraged to take part in each activity and deduce what made that activity enjoyable or memorable, or what made it unenjoyable or confusing.

Lastly, we got into our teams and the teens assigned themselves various roles which will be used during the exhibit design. These roles are project manager, design specialist, materials person, content specialist, and engagement specialist. We then shared our ideas and finalized our materials list.

Week 4 November 12th

Today we started off with a visit from a speaker, associated with Jane Clougherty, who came and talked to us about Jane's research. This research focuses mainly on how air quality and various social stressors are related.

We then had a visit from a representative of the group GASP. She brought in some very interesting air monitoring equipment. The teens then used these resources to monitor air quality in the are around the museum and the library while recording there findings. It was a fun activity which showed how particulate matter can vary from place to place even when indoors.

To round out the day, we all took part in straight talk within our teams. This gave everyone a chance to give honest feedback to the other members within our teens.

Week 4 November 10th

Today, we started off with a lesson about history of environmental justice. Included in the lesson were some examples of what environmental justice entails.

After this, we introduced a project, of which, the teens would be a major part. The project was an environmental justice debate. This debate was specifically focused on the practice of fracking near residential areas. The teens were split into teams and each given a pro or con stance as well as the role of someone concerning fracking near the Pittsburgh International Airport.

The teens then proceeded to do research on the subject matter and their particular role in the debate. The debate then took place for roughly 45 mins and was very heated. The teens took on the roles well and did an excellent job debating. The judges (Lindsey, Clara, Justin, Amanda and Tom) will tally up the scores and see who won the debate on Thursday.