Energy and climate – Imperative

concepts for tomorrow’s engineers

Susan E Powers & Jan DeWaters

Institute for a Sustainable Environment

Clarkson University

June 7, 2016

Behaviors /

intentions

Knowledge – Affect – Behavior

Self-Efficacy

1DeWaters & Powers, Energy Policy 39(3) 2011

Spearman’s rank

correlations

Education

Energy literacy data:1

Affective vs. Behavioral: ρ =0.54

Self-efficacy vs. Behavioral: ρ =0.44

Cognitive vs. Affective: ρ =0.38

Cognitive vs. Behavioral: ρ =0.16

Content

Knowledge Affect – attitudes,

values, beliefs

Undergraduate Class –

Climate Change: Engineering, Science, Policy

Four years of data

Junior, Seniors

Class taught in computer room

weekly in-class computer activities

~40 students/y

Mix of engineering students

Sustainable energy systems

engineering minor

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Females Males

# S

tudents

Student Demographics

MAE ChE CE E&M EnvE

MAE 41%

ChE 9%

EE 3%

EnvE 29%

CE 6%

E&M 12%

EnvE MAE

Pedagogical Approach

Make it Count (ABET !)

Content knowledge

Problem solving / decision making skills

Make it Relevant

Materials with a societal context

Appreciate climate change and consequences

Explore and analyze data themselves rather than being told what to believe.

Hurricane Sandy

Some snow cover at least 30 days per year

Transforming understanding of

Climate Literacy into a class

Climate Literacy

Knowledge / Skills

Attitudes (including self efficacy)

Behavior

Basic climate science Greenhouse effect

Greenhouse gases (GHGs)

Earth system processes / Climate modeling

Anthropogenic influence Importance of C.C.

Recognition of man’s role

Activities that affect climate

Estimating GHG emissions

Mitigation / adaptation Energy / material source and use

alternatives

Civil infrastructure changes

Policy options and their value

Change needed and possible

as an engineer

as an individual

USA

Energy Conservation

Consumption – Stuff, Food choices

Fuel Switching

Forests & Soils

CO2 Capture and Storage

Nuclear Fission

Renewable Electricity and Fuels

Change Energy

Resources Used

Change Human Behavior

Change Carbon Cycle

Energy Efficiency

Other Ideas???

Mitigating Climate Change

Example – GHGs from Electricity

Questions:

How much GHGs do you generate with electricity use?

Does it matter where you live?

Explain Why or Why not

What can you conclude about New York State?

Procedure:

Explore fuels used and resulting CO2 emissions

http://epa.gov/powerprofiler

Your home town (or school)

East Hampton NY 11937 Chicago IL 60601

Boston MA 02129 Kansas City MO 64101

Seattle WA 98101 Atlanta GA 30301

Los Angeles CA 90001 Denver CO 80012

Columbus OH 43201 Honolulu HI 96801

Where you live matters…

11.1% 58.7%

30.3% 37.4%

409 lb CO2/MWh

1,379 lb CO2/MWh

1,137 lb CO2/MWh

(DC – 24% coal;

859 lb CO2/MWh)

30.4% 5.5%

NYUP

NYUP

RFC

USA

Does it work? – Climate Literacy /

Critical Thinking Climate literacy questionnaire developed and administered

N=82, matched pre/post completed questionnaires

Critical thinking rubric – applied to semester projects

Climate Literacy Questionnaire in 3 subscales

Cognitive

21 items

5 option multiple choice

Affective

14 items,

5-point Likert-type scale

5 self-efficacy items embedded within affective subscale

Behavioral

9 items,

5-point Likert-type scale

Overall Results

significant increase in knowledge (p<<0.001), affect (p<<0.001), behavior (p=0.002)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Knowledge Affect Behavior

Perc

ent

Corr

ect

(know

ledge)

Pre Post

3

5

4

2

1

Like

rt S

cale

(1

-5)

(Aff

ect

& B

eh

avio

r)

3.74±0.57 3.94±0.53 3.68±0.53 3.80±0.51 62.4±8.4 76.1±8.3

Gender makes a difference

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Knowledge Affect Behavior Knowledge Affect Behavior

Female Male

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Knowledge Affect Behavior Knowledge Affect Behavior

Female Male

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Females Males

# S

tudents

Student Demographics

MAE ChE CE E&M EnvE

*** *** *** **

Initially: • Females >> Males

o affect and behavior scores

End of Class: • Post >> Pre

o Knowledge

o Men - Affect and Behavior

• Females >> Males

o Behavior

Summary

Climate and energy systems for mitigation is a grand

challenge for engineering students

There is a lot to be gained from offering a climate

change class specifically to engineers

They can change!!

Students need to think critically

o Data quality

o Deeper data interpretation

o Systems perspective

Thank you!!

Susan Powers

Director, Institute for a Sustainable Environment

Clarkson University

Potsdam NY

sep@clarkson.edu

Summary of Resources

NOAA – State of the Climate: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/

Very basic science

http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/impacts/signs/index.html

Snow and Ice

http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/sotc/sea_ice.html

http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/

Access to historical temperatures http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/station_data

Access to GCM results http://www.ipcc-data.org/maps/

Climate Science visualization tools

http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse

http://www.kcvs.ca/site/projects/climate.html

http://carboncycle.aos.wisc.edu/carbon-budget-tool

Global CO2 Emissions http://www.wri.org/tools/cait/

CO2 Concentrations http://co2now.org/

• Emissions from electricity (by zipcode) http://epa.gov/powerprofiler

Student Group makes a difference

MAE 41%

ChE 9%

EE 3%

EnvE 29%

CE 6%

E&M 12%

Group 1 – MAE

dominated

Group 2 – CEE

dominated

47 students 41 students

17% female 49% female

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Know

ledge

Aff

ect

Behavio

r

Know

ledge

Aff

ect

Behavio

rGroup 2 Group 1

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Know

ledge

Aff

ect

Behavio

r

Know

ledge

Aff

ect

Behavio

r

Group 2 Group 1

Group 1 – MAE

dominated

Group 1 – MAE

dominated

Group 2 – CEE

dominated

Group 2 – CEE

dominated

CEE students –

• Initially better affect

and behavior

Semester Projects

Address a research question that requires

the use of real-world data,

critical analysis of the causes and consequences of climate change,

or decisions necessary for mitigating or adapting to these changes.

Approach:

Select a specific research question

Develop a plan to address question (data, types of analysis)

Complete analysis

Document work

Reducing CO2 emissions through Coal Efficiency -

“50 by 50” Plan

30

35

40

45

50

2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

% E

ffic

iency

Years in decade intervals

Realistic Efficiency Plan

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 2070

Coal C

onsu

med

(Thousa

nd S

hort

tons)

Year

Annual Coal Consumption

6000

6500

7000

7500

8000

8500

9000

2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

CO

2 E

mis

sio

ns

(To

ns)

Year

Projected CO2 Emissions

With Solution

Without Solution

Relevant question for Mechanical Engrgs.

Reasonable literature based plan for efficiency

Connections mitigation change in emissions

Good discussion of implications

STUDENT GAINS ON SELECTED COGNITIVE ITEMS

Survey Items Pre-test

average

Post-test

average1

H2O is the most abundant greenhouse gas. 29.3 70.7***

CO2 is the greenhouse gas we are most concerned about

limiting emissions of, to reduce global warming. 80.5 97.6***

Energy in the infrared wavelength is absorbed by the

atmosphere and mainly causes temperature increase. 35.4 75.6***

The greenhouse effect is caused by naturally occurring

gases in the atmosphere. 68.3 81.7**

Global climate change is accelerated by the melting of snow

and ice covered surfaces. 68.9 82.0**

Anthropogenic causes of global climate change (overall

score) 61.9 73.7***

Fossil fuel combustion is a cause of climate change. 93.9 98.8***

Livestock production contributes to climate change. 66.5 85.4***

STUDENT GAINS ON SELECTED NON-COGNITIVE ITEMS

Survey Items

(followed by Likert-type response option)

Pre-test

Response3

Post-test

Response3,4

I feel I know (a lot, quite a bit) about global climate

change. 30.5 86.6***

I am (completely, mostly) convinced that global

warming is happening. 90.2 100***

Global warming is caused (mostly by human

activities). 68.3 79.3**

Global warming is an (urgent/very serious) threat to:

Plants and animals 80.5 86.6**

People in other countries 62.2 75.6***

I would (strongly/somewhat favor) increasing taxes on

electricity so people use less of it. 41.5 53.7**

Beyond Literacy…

Rubric Attributes Competency expectations -

example for a “proficient” score (4)

Formulates problem/

question or issue

Satisfactorily identifies and clarifies problem

Describes within the context of the broader issue

Recognizes key points or issues among details in relation to given question.

Uses data and evidence

appropriately, systematically and

objectively to address a problem

Approach to and use of data/evidence is organized

Some assumptions stated

Examines quality of data and other source of evidence

Formulates evidence-based

conclusion or problem solution

Appropriately applies evidence-based interpretation of data to solution of

the problem

States conclusion or problem solution, shows how conclusions or solutions

emerge from the evidence or data

Demonstrates its relationship to the given question within the context of

larger implications

Evaluates solution

Assesses solution in terms of its reliability and its need for further evidence.

Assesses implications of solutions to specific questions or problems in

context of larger issue

Evaluates trade-offs, benefits, detriments of various solutions.

Critical Thinking Competency Rubric Criteria

Critical Thinking

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Brings in different perspectives; evaluates trade-offs

Assesses implications in context of larger issue

Assesses solution - reliability & need for further…

Evaluates Solution

Demonstrates relationship to question with broader…

States conclusion/solution, how emerges from the…

Evidence-based interpretation of data

Formulates Solution/Conclusion

Examines sources or data/evidence

States assumptions

Use of data/evidence is organized

Uses Data/Evidence Appropriately

Recognizes key points, priorities

Describes problem in context - broader issues

Identifies & clarifies problem

Identifies ProblemProblem Formulation

Uses Data/Evidence Appropriately

Formulates Solution / Conclusion

Evaluates Solution

% scoring at least proficient (4/5)

% scoring superior (5/5)