Hyderabad: The world is witnessing hotter days and heatwaves with each passing year since 1950. We will see more changes in weather extremes by end of the 21st century if we don’t act now. It begins with educating children to fight the crisis. As part of Nord Anglia Education, the world’s leading premium school organization, students at Oakridge International School Bachupally get an opportunity to work with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to find the problem–solving ideas.
Nord Anglia Education with MIT brings in a new age of 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 participated in the MIT challenges on Earth, this academic year focuses on extreme weather. “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 Emmauel, Dr. Caroline Ummenhofer, and Dr. Kristen 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. They learn about cyclones, seas, oceans, and weather events that leave clues and evidence as fossils and are mentioned in geologic records. This apart student discovered more about tropical cyclones a, their disastrous consequences on the affected areas, which makes forecasting and communication incredibly important.
The videos and tasks suggested by climate scientist Dr. Kerry Emmauel on a global campus allow students to explore and find ideas for communicating to the public 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 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 Ms. Prashanti, Head of IGCSE, Oakridge Bachupally.
