M-SOS-W: Middle Schoolers Out to Save the World


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Four hundred fifty middle school students from six schools in Louisiana, Maine, Texas, and Vermont will monitor home energy consumption under the supervision of their teachers and use data gathered to develop optimal scenarios for conserving energy and reducing the production of greenhouse gases.
Project Information
Cohort: 
6 (2008/2009-2011/2012)
Category: 
Strategies
Principal Investigator: 
Gerald Knezek
Co-Principal Investigator(s): 
Rhonda Christensen
Tandra Tyler-Wood
Sponsor: 
University of North Texas
Primary Focus: 
Environmental Science
Organization Location City: 
Denton
Organization Location Region/State: 
West South Central
Texas (TX)
Where project work happens: 
New England
Maine (ME)
Vermont (VT)
West South Central
Louisiana (LA)
Texas (TX)
Participant type: 
Middle School Teachers
Middle School Students
Target Area: 
Rural
Suburban
Urban
Award Number: 
08-33706
Overview Section
Photo Caption: 
MSOSW Teacher Training; Vermont, Summer 2009

M-SOS-W: Middle Schoolers out to Save the World in this project, approximately 600 sixth graders from seven middle schools in Louisiana, Maine, Texas and Vermont are monitoring home energy use under supervision of their (14) teachers. The data are being used to develop optimum scenarios for conserving energy and reducing production of greenhouses gases in local communities. The teachers are receiving professional development to carry out the project. Students and teachers are using online software tools to record and analyze their data and create projections of future energy use based on assumptions of policy changes. They are communicating their results within the project via information communication technology. Research is being conducted on the effects of the project on students' and teachers' changes of attitudes and interests in science, and in students' gains in science content knowledge through comparisons with matched, untreated schools.