THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT VISUALIZER: A TOOL FOR THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM

The Greenhouse Effect Visualizer (GEV) is designed to help students visualize data sets related to the earth's energy balance. This work was inspired by the benefits scientific visualization have provided to scientists in discovering patterns and presenting the results of their work to broad communities. The hope is that scientific visualization can provide equal assistance to students trying to learn science. The philosophy underlying this approach links learning with practice. Hence, students are encouraged to learn science initiating and pursuing scientific questions and through interacting with the scientific community. This approach is by no means new, the difference is the attempt to ease the task through the assistance of selected technologies. This framework is basic to the Collaborative Visualization Project (Pea, 1993) of which the GEV is a part. This paper describes the GEV. including its data sets, models and visualizations, supported operations on data, and suggested uses. In addition, since the GEV is still very much under development, current shortcomings are described along with potential remedies. 2. WHY THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT? The greenhouse effect has become the focus of an international research effort in the scientific community that views the earth and its atmosphere as a unified system affected by the fuel policies of industrial and emerging nations (Silver and DeFries, 1990). This intertwining of scientific and social concerns is useful since it provides diverse hooks or entryways for students to become involved with science. Optimally, this variety allows students to choose an angle that combines with their existing interests, yet relates to a common topic. For example, one project might propose a cap on carbon-dioxide emissions, while another evaluates the cap's impact on developing nations. Projects of this typ