National Environmental Education Week

Monday, April 19: Citizen Science (Community Science) Tools for Teachers

Looking for a way to engage students in environmental education that works equally well in a virtual or in-person format? NEEF will teach educators about citizen science through a webinar co-hosted with SciStarter, an online citizen science hub. The webinar will walk viewers through the process of creating, developing, and implementing a citizen science project.

Live Webinar: Getting Your Citizen Science Project Off the Ground (2p.m. EDT)

Speakers and presenting groups include: 

• Caroline Nickerson from SciStarter will review how to register a new citizen science project through the online database.
• Jessica Taylor, NASA Langley GLOBE Partnership lead and principal investigator for GLOBE Clouds, will provide an introduction to the citizen science tool GLOBE Observer
• Susan Sachs, Education Branch Coordinator at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a NEEF grantee who will provide an overview of how they successfully incorporated citizen science into their educational programming.
• Sean O’Connor, Citizen Science Program Manager, BSCS Science Learning, will provide an overview of FieldScope platform.

Educators will walk away with an understanding of a few of the resources and platforms that exist to make creating a citizen science project easy and accessible. 

Register

Tuesday, April 20: Greening STEM in the Field

COVID-19 has presented many challenges for educators, especially when it comes to getting students out into the field for hands-on environmental education. For an inside perspective, NEEF spoke with our partners at McInnis Canyons National Recreation Area and the Colorado Canyons Association about their Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-funded Greening STEM demonstration project in the high desert canyon country of western Colorado.

This project involves taking local high school students into the field to study invasive Russian knapweed on the Colorado River. Students will explore different strategies and biological control methods for dealing with invasive species, and includes the creation of a Chronolog station to monitor the effects of Russian knapweed on the local habitat and document its removal efforts.

Recorded Event: Experience Nature from the Classroom 

Hundreds of time-lapse videos highlighting important environmental scenes are openly available via Chronolog, an environmental monitoring platform powered by citizen science. Observers get a first-hand view of environmental changes ranging from fire recovery to invasive species. Ky Wildermuth, co-creator of the Chronolog project, demonstrates ways to use this free tool to enrich your curriculum.

Speakers include: 

• Ky Wildermuth, co-creator of the Chronolog citizen science platform.
   

Wednesday, April 21: Developing Greening STEM Activities for the Classroom

Eager to put Greening STEM to the test in your classroom?

Live Webinar: Greening STEM in a Classroom Setting (1p.m. EDT)

NEEF will host a one-hour live webinar with the Frost Museum of Science to discuss strategies for implementing Greening STEM in a formal classroom setting. The educators at Frost recently partnered with NEEF to introduce several Greening STEM activities to Miami-Dade County middle school STEM teachers during a professional development workshop. The Frost team will provide an overview of three biodiversity resources that were developed for implementation in virtual classrooms, and viewers will have instant access to all three.

Speakers include: 

• Angela Colbert, PhD, Knight VP of Education, Frost Science, will discuss collaborative strategies for developing and implementing Greening STEM activities.
• Daniella Orihuela, MPH, Director of Educational Programs, Frost Science, will give an overview of the Biodiversity Through a Greening STEM Lens series of activities.

Register

Thursday, April 22: Earth Day 2021

Check out our article about biodiversity-based citizen science projects featuring Alison Young, co-founder of the City Nature Challenge (CNC). Held each spring, the CNC is a BioBlitz-style competition where cities across the globe compete to see who can make the most observations, find the most species, and engage the most people. Educators can learn how BioBlitzes are an important tool for encouraging participation in environmental education for both in-person and virtual instruction.
 

Friday, April 23: How to Talk About Climate Change with Kids

When it comes time to talk with children about climate change, it’s important to have a game plan.

Recorded Event: How to Talk to Your Kids about Climate Change

NEEF will host an online presentation featuring Dr. Joellen Russell, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Arizona, to explore strategies for discussing climate change both at home and in the classroom. Dr. Russell is a representative of Science Moms, a group of climate scientist and mothers, including Dr. Katharine Heyhoe and Dr. Melissa Burt, “who care deeply about the planet that our children will inherit.”

Speakers include: 

• Dr. Joellen Russell, professor of Biogeochemical Dynamics and a Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair of Integrative Science at the University of Arizona.

Recorded Event: Tips for Teaching Students about Climate Change

A 2019 NPR/Ipsos national poll found that more than 8 in 10 teachers support teaching kids about climate change. However, it isn't always happening. We sit down with three teachers from the Climate Superstars Challenge to discuss some of the challenges educators can face when trying to bring the subject of climate change into their classrooms. 

Ask a Question!

Do you have a burning question for one of our highlighted speakers but can't attend the webinar? Feel free to submit any questions you would like to be considered for discussion during one of our live or recorded events.

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