Technology is used to empower students to go beyond traditional limitations. EarthVision provides the opportunity to participate in an authentic research environment enables the students to develop a sense of self worth and esteem established in the context of a phased curriculum, bringing together experts in a variety of disciplines. New techniques such as modeling and scientific visualization are employed to expand the types of phenomena which are possible to examine at a high school level. The use of concept strands going from simple elements to complicated representations helps to move the teacher/student teams from a highly structured learning environment to one that is highly independent. The scientific method, which employs validation throughout the computational science process, brings rigor and integrity which stimulates skill development needed for the development of autonomy. The result is significant cognitive development coupled with a positive affective orientation.