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This website features work from the completion of Phase 1 of the SCALES Project.

We are currently seeking partnerships for Phase 2.

SDG 15 – Life on Land

  • Homework 15: Map Somerville tree data

    Use Tableau or CartoDB to make a map of the Somerville MA tree data

    Read more: Homework 15: Map Somerville tree data

  • Homework 12 & 13: Sketch 4

    Start working on your idea for this sketch, and bring into class: data, audience AND goals!

    Finish your sketch.

    Read more: Homework 12 & 13: Sketch 4

  • Homework 10 & 11: Sketch 3

    Start working on your idea for this sketch, and bring into class: data, audience AND goals!

    Finish your sketch.

    Read more: Homework 10 & 11: Sketch 3

  • Homework 9: How to tell a story

    Read Paige Williams, “How to tell a story: The Moth.” Nieman Storyboard (Harvard), August 2012. Choose and listen to one Moth Story. Write down and bring to class your analysis, as Paige Williams lists in her article’s item #3.

    Read more: Homework 9: How to tell a story

  • Homework 7 & 8: Sketch 2

    Start working on your idea for this sketch. Come to class with with:

    • The data you are going to use (remember to go data shopping!)
    • The audience you want to make something for (remember "general public" is an unacceptable audience!)
    • Good but not required: one abstract word in your data story that you need help representing in concrete ways ("inequality", "hate", "asylum", etc.)

    Finish your sketch.

    Read more: Homework 7 & 8: Sketch 2

  • Homework 5 & 6: Sketch 1

    Come to class knowing what dataset you are working on, an outline of the story, and a sketch of what you want to make.

    Finish your sketch.

    Write up your project on the class blog. Start with a summary sentence in the form: "The data say ________. We want to tell this story because _____." Include a 300ish word summary of your data sources and why what you made is an appropriate and effective way to tell the data story.

    Read more: Homework 5 & 6: Sketch 1

  • Legal and Business Actions, Methane Leak Data Debrief

    Objectives: Discuss two examples of how data can inform public decision-making: using citizen-collected data in legal cases, and developing a more accurate and consistent measure of the carbon footprints of goods and services. Debrief of methane leak data collected on the prior field trip session.

    Read more: Legal and Business Actions, Methane Leak Data Debrief

  • Methane Leaks Field trip

    Objective: Hands-on field activity collecting data on real-word methane leaks from natural gas infrastructure in Cambridge and Somerville MA. Familiarize two sets of 5–8 participants with the tools and methods.

    Read more: Methane Leaks Field trip

  • Methane Leaks Hackathon

    Objective: Participants get practical background on methane leaks, and initial hands-on experience with the tools for detecting leaks, measuring the volume of gas released from a leak, and tracking and visualizing leaks.

    Read more: Methane Leaks Hackathon

  • Citizen Science & Climate Action

    Objective: Provide an overview of citizen science and other collaborative approaches to science-based climate action.

    Read more: Citizen Science & Climate Action

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