The CAN-DOO programme in the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences

The CAN-DOO programme complements the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in its mission to promote public awareness of climate science.

The CAN-DOO initiative is a direct response to a need for greater scientific literacy with respect to climate science. The acronym stands for Climate Action Network through Direct Observation and Outreach. In a move to implement this international climate science project in South Africa, Prof Carla Ramsdell (Appalachian State University), Stephan Steyn (University of the Free State) and Francois van Heerden (then of St. Michaels School in Bloemfontein) came together for discussions about a year ago.

This initiative saw the formation of a climate club at St. Michael's School where learners took turns to perform measurements every other day using meteorological instrumentation sponsored by the Appalachian State University. As part of their scheduled community engagement activity, honours students in Agricultural Meteorology at the university provided instrument training and presented seminars for members of the climate club on a regular basis. These seminars form part of the students' service learning module. In the meantime, this initiative has snowballed to involve more schools in the Motheo district.

Strategies to broaden the CAN-DOO project network include interactive online discussions that bring students from countries across the world on board. Their findings are then discussed during sessions with our students, who in turn are afforded the opportunity to pursue their distinct research topics.

Another objective of the CAN-DOO international project is to develop infrastructure that will facilitate and expand public outreach. Such endeavours encourage public engagement in climate science as the public become responsive to regional climate changes and the impact of these on their everyday lives.