New mathematics course tackles climate change, weather trends

One can be hard-pressed to deny that environmental changes occurring around the world are, in part, due to climate change.

Whether it’s visible through fooding and heavy rains in historically dry areas, increased occurrences of major storms, or the melting of glaciers, climate change is all around us.

The question is what we can do about it.

For six students last fall and eight this spring, they’re determining ways that they can make an impact by learning about the implications of climate change and the effects it has not only on the environment, but on the world.

Mathematics teacher Tom Marshall spearheaded the new class, called Modeling Climate Change, a one-semester math elective that became available to Cheshire Academy students this past fall. As part of the course, students learn about the environmental, economic, and global impacts climate change has on the general public and use their knowledge in the fields of mathematics and science to better predict future weather-related outcomes. For Marshall, the course is an opportunity for students to apply their academic studies to real life situations.

“As a math teacher, so much of what we teach kids is X’s and Y’s, and kids always ask, ‘When am I going to ever use this in my life?’” reflected Marshall. “To be able to teach math through a real-world application that they can get their minds around, it helps them actually understand and make decisions. Tat’s a more worthwhile way to teach math.”

Dean of Curriculum Marc Aronson said the new class serves as “a perfect example of how our curriculum delivers the Academy’s mission to our students.”

“This course really engages students in the practice of combining critical thinking skills with both real-world applications and students’ senses of themselves as global citizens,” Aronson said.

Marshall first began compiling plans in the fall of 2018 on how he could implement modeling climate change into his pre-calculus and statistics classes. After conversing with the rest of the Math Department team, the idea of creating a dedicated course came to mind. Marshall later attended a one-week math modeling course at Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter, New Hampshire) and tapped knowledgeable individuals about meteorology.

Marshall himself holds a passion for climate change and its impact on Earth. He hopes students leave his class with the tools to talk about the subject and the power to make decisions on what they want to do about it.

“It hangs over everybody’s head all the time,” Marshall said. “We really need to understand it and be able to talk about it.”

On Fridays, the class meets for lunch in the Gideon Welles Dining Commons. Students share current articles on issues related to climate change, such as fooding in Venice, Italy, the decline in the number of oysters in the Gulf of Mexico, and recommendations on how millionaires should invest funds to help the environment. Marshall guides the conversation before letting the students lead.

One of the assignments Marshall put forth to students was to study the migration of Syrian farmers in the mid 2000s. Due to a devastating drought, farmers could no longer feed themselves or their families, and were forced to relocate to nearby cities.

“We could model the temperature and how that related to migration, and then we could model how many people from Syria and from Iraq migrated to the different cities,” explained Marshall. “… All those cities that were involved that ISIS eventually took over, the population grew by about 30 percent, and there weren’t jobs. Food prices went up, housing prices went up … You had a preexisting problem that was just exacerbated by climate. “

“This course really engages students in the practice of combining critical thinking skills with both real-world applications and students’ senses of themselves as global citizens.

Dean of Curriculum Marc Aronson

NBC Connecticut First Alert Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan visited Marshall’s Modeling Climate Change course in the fall of 2019 to discuss with Cheshire Academy students the latest trends to better forecast weather patterns, how to use mathematics to make more informed calls on weather, and climate change in general.

Marshall understands that some of the topics discussed in his class can be disheartening, but he hopes that the students will take an honest look and perspective on the situation. He also recognized that there is misleading information. As such, his students work to determine what sources are reputable for them to make informed decisions and arguments to entice change.

The ultimate goal, Marshall said, is for students to be engaged. In the case of climate change, he hopes students driven by the issues at hand become stewards of change.

“Any time they walk into the room and they engage, that’s what you want,” Marshall said. “If they can do it with this, they can do it in a different subject if they’re adequately interested and motivated to do it.”