Designing for Hope: Empowering Children in the Face of Climate Change

PhD project

PhD student:

Supervisors:

Larissa Pschetz (Design Informatics), Bettina Nissen (Design Informatics), Andrew Manches (Moray House School of Education)

Outputs from this project

Beckingham, A., Pschetz, L., Manches, A. and Nissen, B., 2025. EcoARology: Using AR to Empower Children in the Face of Climate Change. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, p.100771

Events:

Glasgow Science Centre for Glasgow Science Festival, 2022
National Museum of Scotland for Edinburgh Science Festival, 2023
Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh for Edinburgh Science Festival, 2024

This research project explores children’s perception of climate change within their daily context and uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology to engage them more meaningfully by visualising how local climate change effects affect local species and their everyday surroundings. Through the AR app and series of prompts, children and their caregivers are invited to consider their lived observations and experiences, deepening their understanding of climate change and strengthening their sense of agency.

Project dates: 2021 –