The climate Innovation Challenge utilizes a project-based approach, catalyzing students to explore and address the impacts of climate change in their own communities.

Students are called upon to investigate the threats posed by climate change. Students then learn the science and use professional tools such as flood maps to determine the vulnerability of a location of their choosing to fire, drought, flood and other potential climate change impacts. After developing their expertise, participants brainstorm multiple creative adaptation and mitigation strategies and systematically compare them to choose the best one. Finally, students learn filmmaking and produce a short film presenting their solution. Participant films will be screened publicly at the Climate Innovation Challenge Showcase in April 2021.

The process is as fun and engaging as it is academically robust. Students will be inspired as the next generation of New Mexico climate change leaders while also meeting Next Generation Science Standards for engineering. The curriculum has been designed as a substitute for the 6th grade Amplify Science “Earth’s Changing Climate Internship” unit, though built-in flexibility allows it to serve older and younger students as well. It comprises 6 distinct lessons and up to 10 total class periods to develop both their projects and ideas.