Computer Science
Engineering Medicine Coolers: Heatwave Visualizations
Middle School
Impacts of Computing
Algorithms & Programming
In Classrooms
Students visualize heatwave data to identify who could benefit most from a medicine cooler.
Module Overview
Students explore how visualizing heatwave data can help them identify which regions and people might be most impacted by hot temperatures. They observe that the same data can be visualized differently and consider how people’s experiences and beliefs could influence the data visualization algorithms.
- Teach this module after Engineering Medicine Coolers
- 3 lessons
- 45 minutes per lesson
- Student materials available in Spanish
- Computational tools used: MATLAB Live Scripts (free web-based application)
- Computer science modules require a short list of materials not included in a kit
Standards Alignment
YES units align with state and national science standards, integrating seamlessly with popular elementary science curricula.
Module Resources
Digital Resources (FREE)
YES provides these materials free of charge! Use the link below to download resources from our Google Drive.
Download ResourcesModule Map
Students use a data visualization to identify regions of the U.S. most impacted by heatwaves. This lesson gives students an opportunity to practice interpreting a data visualization.
Students count the number of heatwave days experienced in Phoenix, AZ using different heatwave definitions, connecting their steps to an algorithm.
Teams create and input their own definition of a heatwave into a MATLAB live script to see the resulting data visualizations. Students consider how their personal experiences and preferences influence the variables and values they select.
Our funders
Major support for this project has been provided by MathWorks.