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The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is promoting bad science with is 2010 National Science Experiment 4-H2O.
In the first experiment, children are asked to participate in an experiment that purportedly was an illustration of the buildup of CO2. The experiment has nothing to do with temperature, neither in the stated objectives nor outcomes, nor is it apparent in the experiment itself, yet the lesson concludes “The buildup of greenhouse gases leads to increases in temperature.”
The designers of the experiment had come to a conclusion that is wholly unsupported by the experiment they had just had the children complete, and therefore I can only conclude must be following a political objective rather than a scientific one.
The scientific debate on greenhouses gases is ongoing, but according to the objectives of the experiment, should not be a part of this exercise.
This sort of heavily biased education, the following of political trends rather than educational standards, is one of the reasons our educational system compares badly to other countries. I would expect the University of Maine to promote sound scientific methodology, not politically driven ideology, in their programs. I can only conclude that the University of Maine is using this program to promote its political views, at the expense of its own scientific standards.
The experiment can be seen at www.4-H.org, although you will need to register to download the relevant document.
Andrew Haughey
Augusta