Making a Difference with Data Science Case Network RCN-UBE Project #1062049  Making a Difference with Data Margaret Waterman BioQUEST Workshop Goucher College, June 18, 2012

Choices bioquest.org/nie2011 Jiaming sat across from one of his favorite clients, Mrs. Seng. His partner, Siti, joined them by computer conferencing. Today’s discussion was focused on web advertising for Mrs. Seng’s new line of instantaneous gas water heaters. While Jiaming returned to his office, Siti decided to Google an unfamiliar term used during the meeting. “Just what is a carbon footprint, “ she thought, “and what does it have to do with water heaters?” Jiaming and Siti lived in the same neighborhood, but Siti preferred to work from home. She couldn’t imagine riding ten stations down the line every day like Jiaming. “I wonder,” Siti said to herself, “if working from home makes a difference in my carbon footprint?”

Case Analysis What do you think this case is about? What do you already know that relates to this case? What do you need to know to understand the case?

The ICBL Discussion Method What did you do? What did I do? What might we have students do next?

Singapore Carbon Calculator: A Tool for Investigation TASKS First, compare the carbon cost of transportation to work for Jiaming and Siti. Then, design and run an experiment using this simulation to answer other questions stemming from the case analysis. http://www.climatechange.sg/html/?link=1

One hypothesis tested was: If a person works from home, then their energy expenditure will be less than a person who works from an office. Shaded columns are kg C/yr for working at home. Waterman & Stanley 2011

Another hypothesis: If I take a shorter shower, I will contribute less to the carbon footprint.

If you taught with the Choices case, would you use the Singapore Carbon Calculator?

Goals of SCN: SCN is an active community of case users, developers and researchers and a place to explore cases and PBL, to foster communication and collaboration and to encourage proposals for development, implementation, and Research

How SCN Links to BioQUEST http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/icbl/how.html

Our subversive goal (heh heh heh) Start a group in SCN that is interested in data literacy and cases Go to http://sciencecasenet.org