What is Environmental e-Science? An Approach to Public Understanding

Our aim is to engage school-aged children in thought about e-Science and in particular two related projects currently being developed by the Equator IRC [1]. Both projects use data from remote sensors and information visualisations to help scientists study complex dynamic systems in the environment, the ecosystem of an Antarctic lake [2] and pollution in a city [3]. Rather than providing descriptions of these, we challenge learners to construct their own understanding through exploration. We use images, questions and deliberate ambiguity [4] to engage learners in a quest to find out what the e-Scientists are doing on the lake and in the city. Learners follow a structured investigative process that guides them through interactive resources, which we are currently developing, and existing websites, and prompts them to think about relevant issues. They also have the freedom to use search and the web to investigate in any direction they feel is appropriate. This work is at an early stage; we are currently prototyping resources and working with teachers to structure the investigative process.