Representatives of University of Athens, Applicant organisation of the Erasmus project HEATWAVES, participated in two prestigious international conferences aimed at promoting climate education and raising awareness about the impacts of heatwaves.
To disseminate the projects’ insights and results, ground-breaking research and innovative frameworks were presented at the following events:
EVENT 1
Urban environment and heat waves: Discussing city planning – a critical view, 4th Panhellenic Conference on Critical Education
15-17 December, 2023
Athens, Greece
During this event, representatives from University of Athens presented the paper Critical Education in the 21st century: challenges and proposals (Skoufoglou, E.S. Hatzara, E. Koutra – Iliopoulou, M. Christoforaki, M. Mavrikaki, E. Galani, A., 2023).
This paper, which constitutes a presentation of a part of the study conducted in the framework of the HEATWAVES project, critically examined the factors influencing urban vulnerability to heatwaves and proposed solutions for urban policy, planning, and design.
The presentation also discussed the integration of these concepts into educational frameworks, particularly through the development of serious games addressing urban heatwaves.
EVENT 2
Climate Action Starts Here: Building Climate Literacy in Grades 9-12
22 March, 2024
Colorado Convention Center, Denver, USA
On March 22nd, the National Conference on Science Education in Denver hosted a session which represented a precious opportunity to disseminate the HEATWAVES project and explore the strategies to integrate the concept of heatwaves into formal education curricula, while empowering students to become informed advocates for climate action.
Through the presentation of the paper Bringing Heatwaves into Classrooms: A Framework for Education (Galani, A., Chatzara, E., Skoufoglou, M., Koutra, M., Christoforaki, M., Mavrikaki, E., 2024), the session explored hands-on activities, data analysis, and discussion strategies to foster climate literacy among high school students. Such new Framework would play a critical role in developing student literacy, promoting public health and safety, promoting environmental stewardship, and empowering individuals and communities to respond effectively to the challenges that heatwaves and climate change pose to everyday life.
The presentation included the introduction of the Earth’s Energy Budget Story Map from My NASA Data.
The NASA story map allows students to explore the urban heat island effect using surface (skin) temperature and vegetation data and to investigate the processes that create differences in surface (skin) temperatures, as well as how human activities have led to the creation of urban heat islands.
University of Athens is honoured to have contributed to these important discussions and looks forward to continuing to share its expertise and insights from the HEAT WAVES consortium with educators, researchers, and policymakers from around the world.
For more information about the HEAT WAVES project, please visit the website or contact us.
About HEATWAVES:
HEATWAVES is a project co-financed by the Erasmus Programme of the European Commission, brought together five partners from four European countries (Belgium, Greece, Italy, Romania) with the goal of revolutionising climate education. The project aims to build a new climate education framework for online learning environments, create digital resources for students and teachers on heatwave awareness, develop immersive learning experiences through simulations and educational games, and disseminate key findings through scientific articles.
