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.

unit Overview

This computer science module can be taught independently but is intended to be taught after the YES Middle School Engineering Medicine Coolers unit. 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.

  • 3 lessons
  • 45 minutes per lesson
  • Student materials available in Spanish
  • Computational tools used: MATLAB interactives (free and web-based)
  • Materials needed: Materials kits are not available for purchase for computer science modules

Standards Alignment

YES units align with state and national science standards, integrating seamlessly with popular elementary science curricula.

View Module Standards View All Standards

unit Resources

Digital Resources (FREE)

YES provides these materials free of charge! Use the link below to download resources from our Google Drive.

Download Resources

Module 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.