NASA Announces Climate Change Education Funding Opportunity

NASA has announced a new funding opportunity that could result in the award of cooperative agreements for projects designed to educate students, teachers and lifelong learners about global climate change.
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Proposals for Global Climate Change Education:
Research Experiences, Teaching and Learning are expected to leverage NASA's unique contributions in climate and Earth system science to enhance students' academic experiences and improve educators' abilities to engage and stimulate their students.
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A particular emphasis is placed on providing opportunities for students to investigate the climate system using NASA Earth observation data and NASA Earth system models.
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Notices of Intent to propose to this announcement are strongly encouraged and due by July 2. Full proposals are due Aug. 3.
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The anticipated total amount of funds available for new awards is approximately $8 million.
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This funding opportunity supports NASA's goal to engage students in the critical disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
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Proposals that offer innovative approaches for using NASA resources in support of elementary, secondary, undergraduate and lifelong teaching and learning are sought.
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Proposals will be accepted under three funding categories:
- Improving teacher competency for global climate change education
- Using NASA Earth system data and models to strengthen teaching and learning about global climate change
- Enabling global climate change science research experiences for undergraduate or community college students and pre- or in-service teachers, including those in nontraditional teacher licensure programs
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Proposals will be accepted from higher education institutions, state agencies, local agencies, or federally recognized tribal government agencies; public school districts; and nonprofit organizations.
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NASA centers, federal agencies, federally funded research and development centers, education-related companies, and other institutions may apply through partnership with a qualifying lead organization.
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This is the second competitive announcement for NASA's Global Climate Change Education project, which was initiated in fiscal year 2008.
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For detailed information about the opportunity, click on "Open Solicitations" and look for "Global Climate Change Education (GGCE):
Research Experiences, Teaching & Learning" or solicitation NNL09ZB1005C at:

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/

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Washington
NASA

'Dark earth' and its carbon-holding powers

Should we be squirreling away carbon in charcoal?
Wikipedia/Romary
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Biochar is based on terra preta, or dark earth — a mixture of bone, manure and charcoal that was first used in the pre-Columbian era to enhance the infertile soil of the central Amazon basin.
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Some of the charcoal has remained in the soil for thousands of years, leading scientists to believe that it could be used elsewhere as a long-term carbon store.
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Johannes Lehmann, a soil scientist at Cornell University, New York, and colleagues, calculate that half of the estimated six billion tonnes of carbon in agricultural, forestry and animal waste could be turned into biochar.
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And for every tonne of biochar, a third of a tonne of biofuel by-product could be produced.
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Some advocates are developing industrial-scale microwaves to produce biochar but critics are concerned that developing a market for biochar could encourage the destruction of tropical rainforests — while others question whether the carbon would really remain in the soil for such long periods.
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Lehmann admits biochar is "not a silver bullet" and that no technology could compensate for the current level of emissions.
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But biochar could help, he says.

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Link to full article in Nature Reports Climate Change

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Nature Reports Climate Change
SciDev