September 17, 2007  While the scientific community is in near total agreement that climate change is a dire environmental problem, the public has been slow to come to an understanding of this complex issue, according to Steven Hamburg, director of the Watson Institute’s Global Environment Program. To close that gap, Hamburg is leading the creation of an exhibit that will travel to science museums in New England and North Carolina, under a $1.75 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

The exhibit, called “The Seasons of Change: Climate Change in New England and North Carolina,” will use interactive simulations to convey to the public an understanding of the science behind climate change. Its aim is to wake people up to the urgent need to take individual action.

Seasons of Change is designed for small to mid-sized museums that cater to populations outside major metropolitan areas. Hamburg and Watson Visiting Fellow Richard Polonsky are gearing the exhibit toward families with children between the ages of 8 and 14 years, with a particular focus on local impacts.

Although scientists say the average daily temperature in Boston will rise 6 to 10 degrees if current warming trends continue, that may not translate well to the average New Englander. For this reason, the Seasons of Change exhibit will focus on iconic regional landscapes such as a sugar maple grove and a ski mountain. The idea is that showing bare ski slopes in December and detailing how sugar maples in Vermont become less productive in warmer weather will be lessons for visitors to reinforce how climate change will directly affect them. The exhibit will first focus on New England and North Carolina, but it is designed for mobility and adaptability to other parts of the country.

“If visitors take an interest in the science of climate change by observing harbingers in their own backyards or communities, they may be more inclined to conserve energy and reduce their carbon footprints,” Hamburg said.

Seasons of Change will use a blend of physical and virtual interactive displays with two distinct and overlapping sections that feature field studies and a climate lab. There will be 3-D displays, historical artifacts, and hands-on activities in field studies, while the lab will have videos, a simulation table, broadcast studio, and projection globe.

It may take a year-and-a-half from planning to implementation before the Seasons of Change exhibit is ready to hit the road, but once it’s ready to go the tour is expected to last five years under the current grant.

Hamburg, who came to Brown in 1995, is an ecosystem ecologist with a recent research focus on linking climate change impacts to mitigation. He has worked with Wal-Mart and other large retailers in improving their environmental record, notably through a push to market energy-efficient light bulbs. In addition to being director of the Global Environment Program, Hamburg is vice chair of the International Long-term Ecological Research Network and has served as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Polonsky, a principal of Innovation Works in Bethlehem, NH, has been involved in numerous projects that have included environmental organizations, municipal and state governments, and businesses.

The project is an outgrowth of the New England Science Center Collaborative, a partnership between climate scientists and museum interpreters that educates the public about climate change by relating it to places people live and care about. 

By Watson Institute Student Rapporteur Scott Spitler


Visit the New England Science Center Collaborative here.