Avoiding Flawed
Demonstrations:
Greenhouse Effect
Intro/Index
Faulty Demos
Errors, Misconceptions
Testing, Lab Results
Scientifically Strong
Resources
Rebuttals
Acknowledgements
Contact
Very informative
video: Doubt
Video is based
on research reported in
this
great book by
Naomi Oreskes
and
Erik. M Conway
Note:
Take a look at the
index of
any
major book
on climate change.
Naomi Oreskes,
Al Gore,
McKibben,
pick your author...
"Education",
"schools," "museums,"
"science education,"
"hands-on evidence,"
"children,"
"public demonstrations
of the science,"
"kids"--
all are subjects that
somehow almost always
manage to
be overlooked.
Kids and science
education are
just not taken
seriously by
most climate science
communicators.
Indeed,
the same
industries
addressed
in the book and video
have largely had free
reign in the schools
and museums of
America.
Apparently, this is not a
problem for the elite.
Is anyone watching
what goes on
in science
education?
Few like there to
be
even
discussion on this.
There are just too many
organizations who have
made
compromising
financial deals.
It is common for there to
be an
understanding:
we
turn
a
blind eye
when
it comes
to lobbying
groups
having a major
influence
in the nation's
public
schools and
science centers.
It is not our concern.
This is
especially true
with in
regards to
energy
and climate
science education.
No doubt.
Climate 101
Simple
Lab
Experiment You
Can do at Home
Wins:
The highly coveted
Ed Wood Award ®
Medal
Can be proudly
worn around the
neck,
placed
under tongue,
or used in
future lab
experiments...
in the
95-106 degree
Farenheit
range.
This web portal
is a resource within
America's online library
for Education &
Research
in Science,
Technology,
Engineering,
Mathematics:
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Climate 101 -- on worldwide broadcast of 24 Hours of Climate Reality
Video narrated by Bill Nye, featuring a "simple lab experiment"
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Mobile Climate Science Labs:
Testing demos like this one, with the public and back in the lab.
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Two cookie jars, two oral thermometers,
two little Earths, two heat lamps overhead.
One faked science lab.
Bill Nye has commented too.
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Sadly, it is not just the way the lab is
presented on the screen; the narration itself
is flawed. When one actually tries to
demonstrate the radiative greenhouse effect,
it reveals misconceptions previously hidden.
Nature is not forgiving when one tries to
demonstrate an oversimplification.
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Testing demos similiar to the one
that later appeared on broadcast.
Opening Day of the Bill Nye Climate Lab
exhibit at
Chabot Space and Science Center.
Sharing results, pointing out flaws,
as a pro bono service, with institutions
interested.
(The decision makers weren't.)
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Among the factors we check: How output,
varies between heat lamps,especially in IR.
Rare for any two to be identical.
Experience valuable in the development of
new demos, understanding mistakes to avoid
them, sharing with colleagues in hands-on
science, as well as with and the public.
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Review of lab experiment presenting in internationally broadcast video
Based on viewing of the video, lab & field test results, and consideration of other faulty materials being widely promoted.
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General Comments
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Specific Scientific Errors
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Follow up
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• How to turn something truly real into something
truly faked. This is a media stunt, a stage show.
Not an
authentic
science lab
experiment to be
taken seriously. Kids, don't waste you money
trying
this at home or for a school project. There
are
lots of great global warming demos that are real.
• Science demonstrations are too important
to be cheapened and trivialized -- by any one.
• Sadly, insults the intelligence of teachers, students,
scientists
and
others who value
genuine hands-on
experiences
with science; who believe the public
has the right to be
involved in the scientific process.
• To CRP: Does this indicate disdain for public
science education and access to scientific evidence?
== Should not everyone have a genuine opportunity
to
test basic science related to important topics?
(Hint: In authentic democracies, this happens. Yes?)
== Is CRP seriously recommending people try
to duplicate this lab?
== If not, is hands-on science considered to be
a joke? Something that isn't really needed?
== Was it expected that CRP's audience will
simply believe the lab results are real? Is not
that joining those that would make climate change
into a debate all about politicals and values.
Testable,
verifiable science is irrelevant.
Is global warming something that exists only
if you
believe it? Or something that exists,
whether you
want to believe it or not? Science is about
what is;
not
about convincing others to believe what want
them to.
It's based on evidence;
discoverying,
communicating and acting upon what is real.
== What do you think is happening as families
actually
try to replicate what is in the video?
They
will not
get authentic
results. Then what?
• Why promote a fake science demonstration,
when legitimate hands-on climate science is
available, even if not being done by the CRP?
• In the classrooms and museums across America,
real hands-on climate science is needed. There is
enough faked information being directed at the
public
already that fosters doubt and confusion
over
global warming and climate change science. |
• Lab experiment presented in the video is faked.
Totally staged for effect.
For instance, common
home oral medical
thermometers are used, with
lowest possible temp reading: 95 Farenheit. How
could measurements have been taken just after
lights first
turned on? Fake sound effect squeeks.
(Just as
in "Plan 9 from
Outer
Space," everything is
ridiculously faked.) It is
doubtful
if anyone in the
studio
even
bothered to
try to
run the lab
experiment.
• "The lamps are like our sun." If the lamps
represent the sun, why would they heat up the
CO2? Could we measure the signal in all that noise?
• "The bottles are like our atmosphere?" Glass
is not a good model of the atmosphere, especially
if you are trying to demonstrate CO2
actually
warming up.
• Lense effect of glass lids onto thermometer bulbs.
• Confusion over the real atmosphere's absorption
of incoming infrared, and its role in global warming.
• Confused about spectrum of incoming radiation
• Is this yet another demo which promotes
confusion between solid convection literal
greenhouses and atmospheric radiative
metaphorical greenhouses?
• Energy from the infrared lamps will not be equal.
Would vary significantly in at least 3 different ways.
To assure the heat lamps are of equal intensity
requires steps
going way beyond a "simple
experiment you can do
at home".
• "Seal the bottles." As shown, you're kidding right?
• Thermometers exposed to radiant IR directly.
• How would you even begin to use oral
thermometers like those shown in a lab experiment?
•
No way would this set up produce a measurable
temperature
differential, authentically attributable
to CO2 absorption of IR,
as claimed. See
test results from other demos. This one is the
worst of
those reviewed, in terms of lab techniques.
• Misconceptions in the narration relate to why
this demo can't work. So many details about what
really
happens in the atmosphere are inaccruate. |
• We are encouraged by Bill Nye's comments,
recognizing the deep flaws in the presentation, at
least as it appears in the video.
• It would be wonderful if the Climate Reality
Project and Al Gore could let people
know something like: "Sorry, we really messed
up on this one. It was wrong of us to trivialize
hands-on
public verification of basic science."
The science is real, but can and should be
demonstrated publically. There is no call for faking
hands-on demonstrations of the basic science.
• It would be great if something could be done
about the video. The fake lab ruins the rest of it.
• We do recommend the lab in the video as a
reminder to
educators of what we must never do in
hands-on
science. We must never fake anything,
especially the science.
We do not need to.
• We will bring replicas of this lab out to the
public in 2012. Perhaps as some comic relief.
(People could cry at this tragedy, or be revolted,
but why not
laugh at it a little.) Also, a contest for
younger kids: how many
flaws can you spot
in this lab in 3 minutes?
The cookie jars are of use -- using
thermal imaging,
people see the jars are about as transparent as
bricks
in many
wavelengths of IR. |
Note: Students and teachers should not miss
Doubt: the excellent, informative video by the Climate Reality Project about tobacco smoking.
Seriously. This one is really good.
This video sheds light on this subject of climate science demonstrations.
How is it that there are so many different climate science demos being promote by major sponsors; yet the favored, chosen demos are so similar?
As science educators, we need to work together; to sort out the flawed demos, from the ones truly based on sound science.
Well meaning people can be hoodwinked by fake or flawed science demos and find themselves among those promoting them.
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Educational institutions in the United States presenting this demo include:
None known to be.
Does appear on websites and videos, primarily those more of a political nature.
Kids and parents will likely mimic for their school projects, Youtube videos. Feeds the urban myth that a "simple experiment" like this is authentic.
Bill Nye notes that his voice "describes an experiment or demonstration that I’ve performed several times over the last 15 years."
Note of concern: the reputation of science museums can become associated, when Bill Nye is the narrator for such a broadcast segment.
Note: it has become a common practice to present educational materials without giving due acknowledgement and credit to their original creator.
This is not good academic
etiquette
or protocol, and weakens science education, we feel. Demos are frequently presented without crediting the original developer(s).
This case also indicates another hazard: associating a demonstration with a name or organization,
and then
performing in badly.
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