The Miami Science Museum (MiaSci), in collaboration with Ideum and the Institute for Learning Innovation, was awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to acquire a new spherical display system. The project, entitled: Hurricanes and Climate Change: Local Impacts and Global Systems, will allow visitors to explore the global dimensions and local impacts of climate change. Planning for the project has already begun and the exhibit is scheduled to be open to the public at MiaSci in early 2011.

This grant gives MiaSci an opportunity to design and develop a multi-user, bilingual, user controlled interface that will advance the kinds of programming and technology currently capable with Magic Planet and other spherical display systems. This resource will also allow MiaSci to develop exhibits that draw visitors of all ages and educate visitors with different learning styles. The main goal is to raise public understanding of earth’s climate system, the human causes of climate change and the potential threats of global warming.

The project will support NOAA’s Climate Literacy goals and Education Strategic Plan, bringing together informal learning experts, climate change experts, and public officials involved in climate adaptation planning, including Miami-Dade County’s Office of Sustainability, who will be supplying relevant County data and informational resources that will be used to develop the exhibit.

A particular focus of the project will be on climate-related impacts here in South Florida, including the dangers posed by rising sea levels and more intense hurricanes. The development of the Hurricanes and Climate Change: Local Impacts and Global Systems exhibit is part of the Museum’s ongoing effort to develop interactive and educational content for the future MiaSci in downtown Miami scheduled to be opened in 2014.