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Clearing up the storm forecast: Simulations, spaghetti plots, and cones of uncertainty

An image of Hurricane Milton approaching Florida, as seen from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite at 6:30 p.m. EDT on October 8, 2024. (Image credit: NOAA)

We are thrilled to announce that the Concord Consortium has been awarded a new grant from the National Science Foundation to design and test innovative ways for the public to engage with storm forecasting information through simulation-based experiences. The three-year Advancing Public Literacy of Uncertainty in Science (APLUS) project aims to help adults understand Atlantic […]

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Hazbot: Next-generation AI supports student inquiry of natural hazards

Rum Creek fire near Merlin, Oregon, August 2022. (Robert Hyatt, NOAA’s National Weather Service)

The Concord Consortium is proud to announce a new grant from the National Science Foundation for our Intelligent Simulation-based Learning About Natural Disasters (ISLAND) project. ISLAND will harness the power of artificial intelligence to help middle school students explore wildfires, floods, and hurricanes through scientific simulations—building critical knowledge and science practices for understanding and responding […]

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The Future of Learning is Here. The Future of Learning is You.

Four students collaborating on a computer-based activity

There has never been a more urgent—and more promising—moment for STEM education. As we face critical global challenges, from climate change to the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, the need for a scientifically literate society and a skilled STEM workforce has never been greater. Advances in technology offer powerful new opportunities to reimagine how we […]

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The power of a scientist’s visit

Middle school students meet a geoscientist on Zoom.

Shelley Olds is an instructional designer at EarthScope Consortium and a partner on the YouthQuake project. Generating thoughtful questions—and building the confidence to ask them—is a cornerstone of scientific inquiry. Middle school students in the YouthQuake project had the rare opportunity to ask geoscience professionals about their journeys into STEM careers and explore their own […]

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Exploring immigration data with CODAP

Manzanar dataset in CODAP with Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and her family listed first.

Middle school social studies students typically study 20th century immigration, including the push and pull factors that guided immigration and the policies that shaped travel to (and from) the United States. Additionally, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s memoir Farewell to Manzanar, which details her experience in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, is a […]

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Making data exploration accessible for blind and low-vision learners using AI

A screenshot of CODAP showing a data table of mammals and their characteristics, a dot plot of the lifespan of the mammals in the table, and a window that contains the DAVAI plugin, displaying some of the descriptive text DAVAI generated when the user asked for a description of the lifespan dot plot. The text displayed in the DAVAI plugin is: DAVAI. The “LifeSpan Dot Plot” presents a visual representation of lifespan data for various mammals. Here’s a detailed description of the graph: Title: The graph is titled “LifeSpan Dot Plot” and is displayed at the top. X-Axis: The horizontal axis represents Lifespan in years, ranging from 0 to 90 years. The x-axis is labeled “LifeSpan (years)” in blue. Dots: Each dot represents a data point for the lifespan of a mammal. Color and Size of Dots: The dots are orange in color and vary slightly in size, giving the plot a ...The text is cut off at this point, but in the image it is in a scrollable window, so the assumption is the user could scroll to see the rest.

Our Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP) engages learners in data science practices, including data analysis and visualization. But what does “visualization” mean to blind or low-vision (BLV) learners? A new National Science Foundation-funded project is using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop and research new tools for making data exploration accessible to BLV learners. Graphs—and […]

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75 years of discovery, innovation, and impact: Why we must celebrate and safeguard the NSF

Two students at a computer with NSF 75th banner on top

On May 10, 2025, the National Science Foundation (NSF) celebrates 75 years of empowering discovery, innovation, and learning. For generations, NSF has supported the ideas and people that have shaped STEM education, research, and opportunity in America. But this milestone is more than a celebration—it’s also a moment for reflection. The gains we’ve made through […]

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AI goes to virtual school

Using StoryQ, students build a model and analyze the model’s performance using graphs.

What does learning about artificial intelligence have to do with learning math? A group of enthusiastic middle and high school students are finding out, thanks to a new supplemental program offered this spring at the Florida Virtual School! As an extension of their Algebra 1 course, students are learning to build an AI model that […]

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