NOAA Earnest F. Hollings undergraduate scholar, Aurora Baker, presented her work on NOAA's Data in the Classroom at the 2024 American Geophysical Union annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

  
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is helping to connect science with education to inspire the next generation of scientists. Through NOAA’s Data in the Classroom program, middle and high school students can explore real-world environmental topics using historical and real-time NOAA data from satellites and other systems, NOAA said in a statement. The program offers five modules, each designed to help students ask questions, challenge assumptions, interpret data and think critically about the world around them.

At the 2024 American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., NOAA Earnest F. Hollings undergraduate scholar, Aurora Baker, shared her internship experience with NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). Her presentation, “Tackling the ‘Last Mile’: How NOAA’s Data in the Classroom Is Bridging the Gap Between Earth Science Open Data and the Needs of Educators," focused on how to turn vast, complex datasets into resources that are practical, accessible and useful for educators.

During her internship, Baker worked to modernize the Data in the Classroom program. She focused on bridging the “last mile”, the often-overlooked step of adapting scientific resources and tools for classroom use, so educators and students can easily access and explore NOAA’s data without needing advanced expertise.

“Through alignment with learning goals and course curriculum, curated open datasets, functional tools and increased accessibility, Data in the Classroom effectively bridges this last mile between open data and the needs of educators,” she explained.

The program serves diverse users, to ensure educational resources are designed with intention, and that they meet the needs of teachers and students from the start to complement learning goals and a range of other curricular resources about Earth science, NOAA added. For scientists and developers, this means gathering meaningful feedback through focus groups, surveys or pilot testing. Tools work best when they are shaped by the people who will ultimately use them, NOAA said.

In modernizing Data in the Classroom modules, Baker replaced outdated tools with more user-friendly, interactive options. For example, she updated Esri StoryMaps with tools that were faster, easier to navigate and more intuitive. These improvements allowed teachers and students to spend less time figuring out the interface and more time learning about the science.

To ensure broader accessibility, Baker said she also added features such as descriptive alt-text for images and clearer heading structures for screen readers. These updates made the tools more inclusive, opening the door for more students to engage with NOAA’s data.

“Satellite data isn’t just numbers or graphs,” she said, “It’s a way to tell stories about the Earth and its systems.” By giving students the tools to explore these stories, NOAA inspires them to think like scientists and tackle real-world opportunities.”

By putting data into students’ hands, NOAA stated they are empowering young learners to think like scientists to explore Earth science, think critically, and find solutions to real-world environmental challenges of today and tomorrow.