The old adage “in unity there’s strength” couldn’t be truer when it comes to combating climate change. And TryEngineering – a proactive IEEE initiative that aims to foster the next generation of technology innovators by providing pre-university educators and students with resources, lesson plans, and activities that engage and inspire – has long been coalescing some of the best minds and resources in the field to rise to the challenge.
Since 2023, and building on IEEE’s broader Climate Change initiative (which highlights new technologies to better predict and respond to climate change, case studies featuring innovative solutions and approaches to climate change, and global events taking place in the field), TryEngineering created an engrossing collection of climate change-related lessons, activities, and events for students ages 4-18 which cover everything from pollution, recycling, solar and wind power, and irrigation to electric vehicles, energy storage, ocean engineering, and much more.
This year, TryEngineering has proudly taken its commitment to addressing climate change to the next level by partnering with the renowned Museum of Science in Boston to help amplify awareness of climate change issues and further engage students in being part of a larger global solution.
A Productive Partnership
Impacting some five million people annually at its physical location as well as through classrooms and online platforms worldwide on such topics as space, artificial intelligence (AI), animals, climate change, life science, and engineering, the Museum of Science is among the world’s largest and most influential science centers and strives to equip and inspire citizens to use science for the global good.
Towards that end, and as part of their productive partnership, TryEngineering recently worked with the celebrated institution to host a nearly four-minute educational video created by Moment Factory and the Museum of Science on the causes and effects of climate change.
Posted on TryEngineering’s Climate Change page and cast in age-appropriate language, the video helps students understand the definition of “climate change,” which currently represents one of the world’s most significant threats. “Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been digging up fossil fuels and burning them, which releases CO2 into the atmosphere in unprecedented quantities,” explains the video, which goes on to note that in the past 60 years, atmospheric CO2 has increased at a rate 100 times faster than previous natural increases.
While the video shares the real-world impact of excessive emissions of pollutants like CO2, lead, and ash on our climate, it also confirms that “when we work together, we can change the global environment,” and encourages students to contribute to a global solution and be the change they want to see.
“We’re thrilled to see the traction that TryEngineering’s collection of Climate Change Resources have had among educators and students over the past year and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with The Museum of Science to bring even more awareness and exposure of this important issue to the K-12 setting,” shared Debra Gulick, Director of Student & Academic Education Programs within IEEE’s Educational Activities operating unit. “Working with prominent partners like The Museum of Science, we remain committed to energizing students around important issues like climate change and helping them understand how engineering can make a difference.”
For more information on TryEngineering’s collection of Climate Change Resources, which include a brand-new video on climate change by The Museum of Science, visit TryEngineering’s Climate Change page.