Science on a Sphere Key to U.S. Exhibit in Copenhagen

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Science on a Sphere display is one of more than 40 such spheres used in science museums and other academic institutions around the world as an educational and outreach tool.

NOAA's Sphere can make environmental processes come alive. (Photo courtesy NOAA)

On Tuesday, at 7:00 pm Copenhagen local time, NOAA and the U.S. Department of State will conduct a SphereCast beamed to Science on a Sphere locations in the U.S. and overseas.

The 60-minute presentation will be led by the Sphere's inventor, Dr. Alexander 'Sandy' MacDonald, director of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado.

The SphereCast will be webcast live via the U.S. State Department's dedicated COP-15 website at: www.cop15.state.gov.

Dr. MacDonald will present an overview of Earth's climate and how human activities are rapidly altering the natural atmospheric and oceanic systems. His presentation features global data sets gathered by Earth-observing satellites and model simulations of the climate system. These data sets provide insights for non-scientists.

Institutions receiving the SphereCast include: Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, California; Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois; Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton, Ohio; Maryland Science Center, Baltimore, Maryland; The Alaska State Museum, Juneau, Alaska; Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota; James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia; the Fiske Planetarium, Boulder, Colorado; and NOAA Earth System Research Lab, Boulder, Colorado; the Wildlife Experience, Parker, Colorado; and the Heureka, The Finnish Science Center, Vantaa, Finland.

In addition to the SphereCast, the Science on a Sphere will have multiple uses in the U.S. Center during the two-week conference. Once a day, scientists from various U.S. government agencies will conduct short, live presentations for Center attendees, followed by a question and answer period.

Throughout each day, the Sphere will show pre-recorded documentary films produced by NOAA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy and partnering science museums.

The SphereCast can also be seen on the U.S. Center's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/usdos.cop15.

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