CLEAN Network Video Conferences

Bio: Robert Molleda is the Meteorologist-in-Charge for the National Weather Service's Miami/South Florida Forecast Office. Robert was the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the same office from 2005 until a recent promotion. Robert has worked for the NWS for a total of 33 years.

Abstract: Robert will speak about tornado climatology in South Florida, as well as the typical weather systems that can cause tornadoes in Florida, and global climate patterns that can influence tornado development in Florida.

We look forward to hosting Danielle later this year when we're able to reschedule. This call instead focused on a discussion of teaching climate change in subjects other than science, led by Patrick Chandler.

Bio: Danielle strives to bring people together to co-create a thriving future. Through being a naturalist and active community member she has learned the value of slowing down, paying attention, and participating in her surroundings. Having a Master's in Teaching focused on community-centered climate solutions and formerly directing a graduate program in environmental education, Danielle has a passion for pedagogy and helping educators offer a promising future for their learners. Living in Finland, Minnesota surrounded by a robust community (human and natural) is inspiring. She loves spending time nesting in her home, cooking elaborate meals, connecting with fellow humans, and moving her body.

Abstract: Climate Generation is a nationally recognized nonprofit seeking to ignite and sustain climate action by working with youth, educators, and the public. Their Education Program has been providing interdisciplinary climate change education training and resources for over 15 years. Climate Generation is exploring how to provide effective support on a regional level to increase capacity and encourage systematic shifts that embolden climate change and climate justice education in communities. Join Danielle Hefferan, Climate Generation's Regional Education Coordinator, to hear about their strategic process thus far and join in conversation around scaling work up or down to meet the needs of your stakeholders.

Presentation: Climate kNOWledge (Acrobat (PDF) 7.4MB May3 24)

Bio: Bess Caplan is the Climate Change Program Manager for the Howard County Conservancy, a private non profit organization in central Maryland that connects thousands of people a year to nature through environmental education programs for school, families, children and adults. Ms. Caplan completed her B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Maryland in 2002 and her M.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in water resource management from Towson University in 2006. Prior to her current position, Bess spent 13 years as the Ecology Education Program Manager for the Baltimore Ecosystem Study where she helped infuse local ecology into school curriculum working with students and teachers of all ages. Bess is a certified Maryland Master Naturalist, a Maryland Association for Environmental Education certified Environmental Educator, certified Weed Warrior and founder and chair of Wilde Lake CARES, a grassroots movement to organize and educate residents of her home town on environmental issues.

Abstract: The Howard County Conservancy in partnership with the Howard County, MD Public School System (HCPSS) has developed a first of its kind unit for 6th grade science students on Climate Change. Through a 3-year NOAA funded B-WET grant, teachers from the school system and educators from the Conservancy partnered to develop a 45 day unit that includes explicit instruction about climate change including human causes, issues of climate justice, and viable solutions. This action oriented unit will now be taught to every 6th grade student in the school system. Ms. Caplan will give an overview of the unit, the partnership that created it and how they fused content with case studies on climate justice to engage students in learning about climate change.

Presentation: CLEAN NCA5 (Acrobat (PDF) 4.4MB May3 24)

Bio: Patrick is an Education Specialist for the Climate Literacy Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) and other Cooperative Institute for Environmental Sciences (CIRES) climate education projects. His current focus is developing support and resources for teaching climate change across the curriculum in both science and non-science classrooms. Previously, Patrick designed educator guides and workshops for the CU/United Nations' Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit (RHRN) centered on helping teachers bring a human rights lens to climate change. Before starting with CIRES, Patrick was the Education Director for the Washed Ashore Project, raising awareness about marine debris through art/science partnership exhibits; taught biology for Kenai Peninsula College; was the International Coastal Cleanup Coordinator for Alaska; and the Special Programs Coordinator for the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. He has over fifteen years working in and developing environmental education, art, stewardship, and science programs and received his Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from CU, Boulder focused on art and science partnerships to catalyze community action on environmental and social justice issues.

Abstract: In this call, Patrick Chandler will provide a progress update on the Fifth National Climate Assessment Educator's Guide, which will be available on the CLEAN website by the end of May. Ania Borchelwicz and Quinn Adams have been working as CLEAN interns this semester to help design and complete the guide and plan to share their work at an NSTA Science update on May 2nd. They will present drafts of their slides in the meeting to get feedback from the CLEAN community. To see the final versions, please join us May 2nd: https://my.nsta.org/event/science-update-making-climate-science-matter-expanding-the-use-and-reach-of-the

Bio: Megan Yousef is an APTD-certified facilitator with a background rooted in change management. Having started her career as a pharmacist before pivoting into the training sphere, she's passionate about facilitating people to action, and now leverages climate literacy tools to motivate teams to action. Megan serves as the Climate Fresk referent for the upper MidWest, and brings experience facilitating literacy workshops across a variety of settings, including pharmaceuticals, industrial paint, green tech solutions, global health and government.

Abstract: Climate Fresk is a gamified workshop to teach participants how everything is connected in the climate crisis, empower them with an understanding and language to be able to speak to nuanced issues, and empower them to build a foundation to move a community towards action.The material is based on our most comprehensive source of climate data, leveraged by governments and businesses globally, the United Nation's IPCC report. It is a 3 part workshop, with a portion to teach you climate science, a portion to support processing climate anxiety, and a collective brainstorm. It's been played by over 1 million participants globally, in universities, governments, and large organizations.

Bio: Kaila Banister is a staff member University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center. She graduated in December, 2023 from UAF with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environment. As an undergraduate student, Kaila secured a NASA SnowEx internship for four semesters and conducted  research on snow, particulate matter and climate change in the boreal forest using Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) protocols and a "Dirty Snow" citizen science method.

Abstract: She invites the CLEAN community to learn about how students can become NASA interns and participate in air quality and snow citizen science. Kaila will show educators and students how to collect, measure and filter surface snow, and to share her experience as a NASA MAIANSE intern. Christi Buffington, science and education specialist at International Arctic Research Center, has served as Kaila's mentor alongside NASA SnowEx and NASA MAIANSE mentors.

Abstract: This presentation will prompt attendees to consider how literacy and English Language Arts teachers might teach in relationship to the climate and broader issues of ecojustice in complex and even hostile educational policy environments. Dr. Panos will share stories of how teachers' ecosophies, placemaking, and personal inquiries can be leveraged to support them in making the climate crisis a central concern of their work with students. She will invite dialogue around how all teachers are climate educators and how to create networks that support those who often see their work as outside the scope of climate justice literacy.

Bio: Alexandra Panos (Ph.D.) is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Studies and Affiliate Faculty in Measurement and Research in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. She completed her Ph.D. at Indiana University Bloomington with a focus on Literacy, Language, and Culture Education and Qualitative Inquiry Methodology. She earned her M.A. at DePaul University Chicago with a focus on Urban and Multicultural Education before teaching Middle Grades English Language Arts and Media in Chicago, IL. Currently she serves as Director of Research for the Center for Climate Literacy and as one of the founding editors for the newly launched open access practitioner pocket journal, Climate Literacy in Education. Through a growing partnership with USF Libraries, Dr. Panos and her colleagues have recently launched a freely accessible resource, Ecoliteracies for Climate Action in Florida, as part of the Florida Environmental Natural History Portal. Dr. Panos centers her scholarship on the reality that, to quote Octavia Butler, "there is no end to what a living world demands of you." For her, this means prioritizing place-based, community-engaged, and postcritical activities that center the ecological and geographic dimensions of education for equity and justice.

Presentation: Nelson Melendez/Xi Marquez, TNC (Acrobat (PDF) 4.3MB Feb28 24)

Abstract: Established in 2019 to connect The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) 1000+ scientists to young people, Nature Lab is TNC's K-12 education platform, which provides digital resources for educators and families to teach young people about the wonders of nature. Join the Nature Lab team as they provide an overview of the Nature Lab platform, share their strategies towards connecting with educators and youth audiences, and learn about their upcoming content promotions to share with your professional communities.

Bios: 

Ximena (Xi) Marquez is an education professional passionate about equitable access to nature for diverse youth. She is the current Associate Director of Education and Outreach for The Nature Conservancy and oversees the Conservancy's global youth content platform, Nature Lab. Xi's former roles included heading efforts to expand equitable global education access in the District of Columbia Public Schools and several years as a classroom educator. Xi received her bachelor's degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University and her Master of Science degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University.

Nelson Melendez is an education professional with a background in the biological sciences. At The Nature Conservancy, he works within the Youth Engagement team as the Education and Outreach Specialist. Before joining TNC, Nelson was an educator for 7 years and taught middle and elementary school science respectively, at two different schools. Nelson's passion is to create engaging environmental science lessons and hands-on experiences for youth audiences. Nelson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Drew University in biological anthropology and his Master of Science degree in biology from St. Joseph's University. Following his master's degree, he published his graduate field research in studying the diet of the critically endangered bog turtle.

Presentation: Ten Strands Data Literacy initiative (Acrobat (PDF) 6.4MB Feb13 24)

Abstract: The environmental literacy and sustainable and climate-resilient schools movement in California is at a critical juncture, transitioning from establishing foundational elements for widespread change to scaling up implementation in every school across the state. To expedite this process, field catalysts recognize the need for an equity-informed, data-driven approach that prioritizes underserved communities and addresses environmental injustices. The purpose of the Data Initiative for Environmental and Climate Action in California's TK–12 Schools is to  develop and maintain an interactive data set (filterable by county or district), that communicates data related to scale, equity, context, and progress on indicators of environmental and climate action in schools. The data for this initiative is being collected and analyzed in partnership by Ten Strands and UndauntedK12, with support and contributions from the UC Berkeley Data Science Discovery Program and members of the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI). This presentation will focus on indicators in each of these areas: Equity and Need, Broader Context Factors, and Indicators of Environmental and Climate Action.

Bios: 

Andra Yeghoian brings more than 15 years of experience in education across public and private school systems, nationally and internationally. She currently provides visionary leadership for a California-wide whole systems approach to integrating environmental and climate literacy, and sustainable and climate resilient school efforts, across a school community's campus, curriculum, community and culture. Andra is also the California Environmental Literacy Initiative Project Director. She holds a B.A. and education credentials from UC Davis, and an MBA from Presidio Graduate School.

Stephanie Seidmon is the program director at UndauntedK12, dedicated to advancing national strategies for creating healthy, decarbonized, and climate-resilient schools. With over a decade in public education, she began as a high school biology and environmental science teacher in Louisiana. There, she pioneered the district's first school-wide recycling program, founded a nutrition club, and promoted culturally responsive and antiracist teaching practices as a state teacher-leader. Stephanie also served in the Peace Corps in Tlaxcala, Mexico, initiating programs focused on climate education and leadership skills for young women. Currently based in Oakland, she works as an instructional leader, supports teacher fellowship programs, and holds a master's in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from Stanford's School of Education.

Abstract: Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week is a coordinated global educational event to engage students in interdisciplinary learning (and action) on climate, clean energy and other just solutions during the first week of Earth Month (April 1-8 2024).  The purpose is to show students that regardless of their discipline, they can be involved in climate repair.  2023-24 is the inaugural year of the Climate Ed Week but the 5th year of the project, which has included over 700 events reaching nearly 100,000 people in more than 70 countries.

There are two general types of activities: MakeClimateAClass and MakeClimateAnEvent. The content of each activity is determined by the participating educators. Events in previous years have included Panels and discussion, Community Speakers. Film, Games, Poetry, Performances - plays, comedy, music, and art exhibitions. To MakeClimateAClass, educators spend at least 30 minutes of a class session discussing the connection between the subject of the course and climate change, solutions or justice. We encourage discussion about climate related careers.  Bard provides certificates for participating institutions, organizers and attendees, a Communication Kit, bi-weekly webinars, connections with participating educators and organizers, scripts for short plays, introductory and concluding videos for events, evaluation forms, assistance with promotion and MORE. Our hyper-ambitious goal is to engage every teacher in every subject area, at every grade level, at every educational institution, in every community, in every nation around the world. See Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week 2024 - YouTube

Bio: David Blockstein, Ph.D. co-directs Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week for Bard College (New York). He is an elected AAAS Fellow with more than 35 years of national leadership at the interface of science and environmental policy. He co-founded and led the US National Council for Science and the Environment, the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors, Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders, US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development and the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences. Dr. Blockstein co-authored The Climate Solutions Consensus: What We Know and What to Do About It (2010).

Presentation: Elective courses for interdisciplinary climate ed with Tim Muhich (Acrobat (PDF) 3.5MB Nov3 23)

Abstract: In his presentation, Tim will go through the process he followed in designing and implementing a climate change course for high school students, and discuss opportunities and drawbacks of this type of CCE intervention.  Participants will leave with a set of rationale for why this may be a strong and scalable approach to CCE, as well as a framework that could be used to create locally relevant programming.  Additionally, generalisable Pedagogical Content Knowledge that was learned in the process of teaching an interdisciplinary climate course will be discussed that has relevance for CCE regardless of its scope.

Bio: Tim Muhich is a PhD student at the University of Michigan's School for the Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) where he is researching how to get schools to implement high-quality and comprehensive climate change education that builds societal response on top of learning climate science.  Before he joined SEAS, Tim taught high school science for a decade where he introduced a semester-long elective class on climate change. The popularity of the class with students and the outcomes it produced in their taking meaningful individual and community action as well as choosing to pursue climate change related career paths after graduating convinced Tim he needed to find a way to provide that opportunity to more students.  On top of the course, Tim worked with a group of students to put on a yearly climate symposium for high school students to attend online with strands on climate science, policy, and justice.  Tim still advises the symposium group, and the climate course remains popular with a new teacher.

Presentation: Remote COP28 Engagement (Acrobat (PDF) 471kB Sep12 23)