The world is witnessing hotter days and heatwaves with each passing year. We will see more changes in weather and climate extremes by end of the 21st century if we don’t act now. This begins with educating children at an early age to fight the crisis.
As part of Nord Anglia Education, school organization, students at Oakridge International School Bachupally get the opportunity to work with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to find solutions to such problems.
Nord Anglia Education with MIT brings in new age challenges for its students all over the globe every year. Overall, 620 students participated in all STEAM-based activities, of different genres. A total of 270 students participate in the MIT challenges on extreme weather as this academic year focuses on Earth.
“Global Campus MIT gave me a lot of opportunities to learn, develop skills, and be innovative and creative in science and technology. I’m always excited to log onto the global campus and learn something new every day, like learning about weather from the videos of Dr. Kerry Emanuel, Dr. Caroline Ummenhofer, and Dr. Kristin Bergmann, the climate scientists in the extreme weather challenges gave us many interesting insights”, says Jiya, a grade 6 student from Oakridge Bachupally.
In MIT’s Extreme Weather Challenge, students go through an incredible chance to become weather detectives and investigate the movement of water through the water cycle with climate scientist Dr. Caroline Ummenhofer. The learning from this challenge includes cyclones, seas, oceans, and weather events that leave clues and evidence as fossils and are mentioned in geologic records. Students discovered more about tropical cyclones and their disastrous consequences on the affected areas, which makes forecasting and communication incredibly important.
Climate scientist Dr. Kerry Emanuel suggested a few tasks on Global Campus allow students to explore and find ideas for communicating to the people, who are living in the affected areas. Dr. Kristen Bergmann’s studies on sedimentary rocks and fossils helped students to understand and interpret environmental changes and major weather events of the past and present.
“Being a mentor for students who are a part of MIT, I feel privileged as I guide them to creatively solve problems and hone their critical thinking skills. In coordination with Ms. Aparna (MIT Teacher Coordinator), a few showcases, where students came up with innovative solutions for complex problems by exploring the world of science and engineering. Fostering a lifelong love for STEAM in every student is our aim and will continue the same spirit in ensuing times,” says Prashanti, Head of IGCSE, Oakridge Bachupally.