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Team up with a Brazilian school for an exciting climate change project

By Joanne Mitchell posted 09-02-2022 09:57

  
Check out how your school can team up with a school in Brazil - and join the discussion about this exciting project here.

STEM Learning, alongside the British Council Brazil, are bringing schools, teachers and young people together to find out more about the impact of climate change. Using real satellite data and utilising Citizen Science students will have the opportunity to investigate the effects of deforestation in both the UK and Brazil. 

COP26 brought together leaders and climate experts from around the world and reaffirmed the importance of understanding climate change and reducing the human impact on it. This STEM enrichment project aims to build awareness of current climate issues and their global relevance and inspire young people to pursue green careers in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption to the classroom and education recovery is a top priority for the UK and Brazilian governments, STEM Learning and the wider education sector. This cross-curricular project will support curricular catch-up and will engage teachers and students to explore a diverse range of subjects including:
 
  • The scientific process (collecting data, analysing results)

  • Biodiversity (habitat loss)

  • Greenhouse gases, global warming & pollution (carbon cycle, chemical reactions and ozone)

Who can take part?

All UK secondary schools and sixth form colleges are eligible to take part and a STEM Club is the perfect platform to launch and deliver the project within your school. STEM Learning can support your school to establish a STEM Club and offers a range of activities and initiatives, as well as opportunities to engage with other STEM Clubs via the STEM Community. Ideally participating students will be between the ages of 12-18 and project teams will include a mix of age groups.

What does it involve?

The project will start with an introductory webinar in early April on deforestation and climate change from industry experts which will provide invaluable information and set the scene for the project.
 
Schools can make use of real, contemporary data provided by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel satellites to investigate deforestation using the EO Browser tool. The En-ROADS global climate simulator can then be used to explore the possible consequences on the climate and environment by modelling changes to human behaviour and output.
 
Students will explore local environments and compare this with the scale of deforestation observed in the Brazilian Rainforest. Participating students will be invited to gather data from members of the public to better understand their views on the impact and relevance of deforestation on climate change and their daily lives. A dedicated STEM Community group will be available for UK schools and their partner Brazilian schools to discuss findings and compare the viewpoints of those on either side of the Atlantic!

Opportunities for peer review and discussion between participant students will add an exciting and rewarding opportunity to the project. Finally, partnered schools will produce a joint presentation of their findings and evaluate the impact and possible future consequences of deforestation on the climate and wider society. 

Get Involved

STEM Learning is looking for 20 STEM Clubs or schools to take part in this pilot project which will take place from March to the end of May. Schools will be introduced to their partner schools in a STEM Clubs webinar on 23 March before beginning their collaborative research project on the effects of deforestation. The project will conclude with opportunities to present the findings from the project at the end of May.
 
If you’d like the opportunity to collaborate with students and teachers from across the globe, please get in touch by emailing STEMClubs@stem.org.uk by Friday 11 March to register your interest and be kept up to date with further developments!
 
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