Second Track: Teaching Sustainability (K-16)
STEAM and the S is for Sustainability
Edwin D Engram
Teaching Sustainability (K-16)
G102
All students, regardless of income, ethnicity, or sex, deserve the opportunity to be prepared with 21st-century skills for future occupations. Knowing this disparity, we are compelled to take action and provide STEM learning opportunities in Dallas K-5 communities. Get students fired up by being transparent about the need for minority representation in STEM and the historical realities that have created this gap.
About the Speaker:
Edwin D Engram
The United States Air Force veteran well versed in biomedical engineering and technology. Hobbies include research and development in biomedical, biohacking, and tinkering with future innovations.
Full STEAM Ahead: Leveraging Citizen Science to Teach Sustainability
Cindy Hua
Teaching Sustainability (K-16)
G102
We at Downwinders at Risk (DAR), a clean air advocacy group, operate on the principle of increasing citizen influence and community organizing to bring cleaner air to DFW. Teaching towards sustainability lends itself to interdisciplinary, place-based, and project-based learning. This presentation discusses how DAR has utilized citizen science campaigns to not only teach STEAM but also build environmental justice literacy among middle school youth.
About the Speaker:
Cindy Hua
Cindy is a member of Downwinders at Risk's PM Education Committee and one of the organization's youngest Board Members. She holds a B.S. in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas and is a Masters candidate in sustainability and development at Southern Methodist University. Her work focuses on bridging STEM education and sustainability through project-based learning. As an SMU human rights fellow, she leads a STEM program where students build low-cost air monitors for their campus.
Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development
Meghna Tare
Teaching Sustainability (K-16)
G121
The United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) a global multi-stakeholder network of the Regional Centers of Expertise on ESD (RCEs). An RCE is organization that facilitates learning towards sustainable development in local and regional communities. RCE North Texas is a network of 75 multidisciplinary stakeholders working towards the following SDGs, deemed priority for our region: Good Health and Well-Being (3); Quality Education (4); Sustainable Cities and Communities (11).
RCEs help prepare local leaders of tomorrow with the tools and information they need to make smart and sustainable choices for the future. RCE efforts encourage innovation and new approaches to sustainable development. They translate existing knowledge into concrete actions and empower individuals to make sustainable choices for themselves and their communities. Join Meghna to discover more about this outstanding sustainability resource in North Texas.About the Speaker:
Meghna Tare
As UT Arlington's first Chief Sustainability Officer, Meghna works collaboratively to foster partnerships among academic, research and operational departments at UT Arlington.
Citizen Science and the Global Goals: Opportunties for connecting campus, classrooms and community
Jill Nugent
Teaching Sustainability (K-16)
G203
This session will discuss curricular and co-curricular engagement opportunities at the intersection of citizen science and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the "Global Goals"; connections to the AAC&U High Impact Practices (HIPS) will also be highlighted. Examples and opportunities for citizen science participation, from classroom to the community, will be shared with attendees.
About the Speaker:
Jill Nugent
Jill Nugent serves as associate dean of science at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) where she also teaches science courses and directs the online Environmental Science Program. Nugent has two decades of experience in science and science education; she is a contributing author of the book, "Citizen Science: 15 lessons that bring biology to life," and is the author of a monthly citizen science feature for the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA).
Interactive Computer Teaching of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Jerry Bartz
Teaching Sustainability (K-16)
G102
In 2016, the U.N. put forth 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflecting environmental concerns and human aspirations for peace and justice for future generations. Included are guidances for creating infrastructure and sustainable cities. Active participation by young people was deemed important. This talk provides a computer interactive blueprint, based on available 2019 and other reference data to help design K-16 curriculum.
About the Speaker:
Jerry Bartz
Jerry Bartz, is a senior lab coordinator at Brookhaven. A former R&D geochemist, he has used unique techniques to clean hazardous and radioactive releases as well as advocate for sensible fracking operations. He has designed and taught curriculum in grades 5-16. Through his professional and academic years he observed that many people are visual learners and are instinctively attracted to databases expressed as maps. Such maps are a universal language for organizing and communicating concepts.
Teaching Sustainability - Creative Reuse and Environmental Educations
Rachel Weaver
Teaching Sustainability (K-16)
G203
I will provide an overview and experiences from various Sustainability Education opportunities I have participated in. I will focus on Creative Reuse, materials management and access, waste reduction, and the educational programs of SCRAP Denton. I will also provide information about programs I have participated in regarding ecology education at a local Nature Center, as well as various educational experiences from sustainable agriculture, local food, art and information to help educators.
SCRAP Denton is a non-profit organization that inspires creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community. Rachel’s presentation will focus on creative reuse, materials management and access, waste reduction and the educational programs of SCRAP Denton. She will also provide helpful information for educators about ecology education programs at a local Nature Center, as well as various educational experiences from sustainable agriculture, local food and art.
About the Speaker:
Rachel Weaver
Rachel Weaver is a community organizer, agrarian and creative. She holds degrees in Social Sciences (B.A.) and Philosophy (M.A.), focusing on environmental issues. She advocates for environmental health, local resilience, and developing our environmental imaginations. Rachel is currently the director of SCRAP Denton, a Creative Reuse center, and has experience in Nature Center ecology and gardening education, local Farmers Market management, community building and sustainability education.