Ginger BoothMake the MathI developed these environmental simulators with the Harvard-Smithsonian Science Media Group, for the Annenberg Media course, The Habitable Planet. The Habitable Planet is an Official Honoree of the 2008 Webby Awards, and won a 2010 SPORE prize from Science magazine and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The Carbon Cycle shows how fossil carbon is released into the air, then migrates into various carbon sinks - atmosphere, terrestrial plants, soil, ocean surface, and deep ocean. Explores changes in fossil fuel usage, net deforestation, and melting tundra.
The scientific model is simple equilibration. I didn't develop the math on this one, only the interactive and graphics portrayal.
Demographics explores population growth pyramids, much like my earlier Human Demographics simulator, where you can change birth and death rate schedules. In this rendition, the user can set vital rates to match those of a different country. (E.g., how would India's population develop under US birthrates.) Countries: USA, China, Egypt, India, Italy, Mexico, and Nigeria.
Disease demonstrates contagious disease spread through a population. Three diseases (Kold, Impfluenza, and Red Death) are supplied, and the user can create variations with different incubation, deathrate, etc. parameters. Explores the effects of population density, population mixing, vaccination strategies, and pitting one virus against another.
Ecology is a construct-your-own-foodweb simulator, from a supplied collection of plants, herbivores, omnivores, and a top predator. Explores competition and trophic switching.
Energy explores meeting energy demand via assorted technologies, while trying to keep atmospheric CO2 below the international goal of 550 ppm through the year 2100.