New Jersey is the first state in the country to make climate change a part of the public school curriculum. Rutgers University hosted a workshop Thursday April 27, 2023 to help educators integrate the topic across the curriculum. The workshop included hands-on and interactive sessions with other teachers. Workshop organizers included RCEI Acting Senior Associate Director Marjorie Kaplan and RCEI affiliates James Shope (NJ Climate Change Resource Center and Environmental Sciences), Carrie Ferraro (Science Learning Center) and Janice McDonnell (Marine and Coastal Sciences and 4H) along with Edward Cohen and Brielle Kociolek of Rutgers Center for Science, Math and Computer Education. Rutgers faculty participating include RCEI Affiliates Mariann Bischoff (Social Work), Elaine Lafay (History), Jorge Marcone (Spanish and Portuguese), Christine Morales (Social Work), Mary Nucci (Human Ecology) as well as Rutgers faculty Dunbar Birnie and Lisa Klein (Materials Science & Engineering) and John Keller (Mason Gross School of the Arts). NJ’s First Lady Tammy Murphy also was in attendance at the workshop; she commended the commitment of teachers and stated “these tools are designed to create an environment for innovation and new ideas, prepare our students to meet the reality of our shared climate challenges, and to develop the next generation of climate leaders.” Read about two amazing students from Bergen County Technical High Schools who demonstrated their inventions during a workshop session around Technology and Engineering along with Professor Birnie. Watch a report about the workshop from WMBC news. Additional information about this workshop can be found at Rutgers Today and The Daily Targum.
