The Bay Area Earth Science Institute presents…..
Climate Literacy Working Group Curriculum Development Workshop
July 15-19, 2013

First preference will be given to applications received by March 30. Click here to apply.

Who: California 6th grade teachers

When: 9:00 am – 3:30 pm each day

Where: Room 306 Duncan Hall, San José State University

You are invited to help NASA develop innovative and engaging lessons focused on climate change science! In this workshop keyed to the California science standards (including the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards), you’ll learn about natural and human-caused climate change and its environmental, societal and economic impacts, become familiar with NASA’s contributions to climate change science, and explore newly-developed multimedia educational tools featuring climate-action superhero, The Green Ninja! http://www.greenninja.info/).

Over the course of the week, you will collaborate with your colleagues and workshop instructors to develop new and/or adapt existing climate science-based lesson plans to best suit your particular instructional needs. Once completed, these lesson plans will be made available to teachers across the country.

Why

• Earn a $500 stipend (you must attend all five days and complete workshop lesson-development tasks)
• Earn an additional $400 for implementing at least two workshop lessons in your classroom, and attending two Saturday follow-up sessions during the school year
• Earn 2 units of Geology 104 for $50/unit (optional)

Instructors: Eugene Cordero (SJSU Meteorology and Climate Science), Grinell Smith (SJSU K-8 Education), Ellen Metzger (SJSU Geology/Science Education) and Cynthia Schmidt (NASA Ames Research Center)

For more information and application materials go to www.baesi.org or contact Ellen Metzger at ellen.metzger@sjsu.edu.

First preference will be given to applications received by March 30.

Funded by a grant from NASA

The Bay Area Earth Science Institute in Collaboration with the Green Ninja Project presents:
Exploring Climate Change Through Scientific Storytelling and the Green Ninja Film Academy
July 8-10, 2013

Click here to apply. First preference will be given to applications received by March 30.

What?: Teaching science presents many challenges, including engaging student interest in ways that are meaningful and relevant to their own lives. This session will focus on how to guide your students through a science-based filmmaking experience using relatively simple tools and the Green Ninja (http://www.greenninja.org/) as a storyline. This standards-based workshop will combine climate science content with the essentials of film making to help you support your students in making science-based movies! Climate science-related topics will include themes of food, water and energy.

Who?:  Teachers of grade 6 – 12 with an interest in using storytelling and film to help engage their students in climate science topics.

When? July 8-10, 2013; 9:00 am – 3:30 pm each day

Where?: Room 306 Duncan Hall, San José State University

Why?:

• Receive a $450 stipend plus $150 more if you implement workshop materials in your classes and attend a Saturday follow-up session
• Qualify for 1 unit of Geology 104 (a $50 unit SJSU fee applies)
• Learn how workshop content aligns with the Common Core and Next Generation Science standards

Instructors: Eugene Cordero (SJSU Meteorology and Climate Science), Harry Mathias (SJSU Film Department), Ellen Metzger (SJSU Geology/Bay Area Earth Science Institute) Grinell Smith (SJSU K-8 Education).

Questions?:  For more information and application materials go to www.baesi.org or contact Ellen Metzger at ellen.metzger@sjsu.edu. First preference will be given to applications received by March 30.

Funded by a grant from Chevron

This workshop will teach you about a variety of invertebrates that have importance
to the health of you and your students.  Grades K-8

Sonoma County Office of Education.  The Conifer Connection is a resource that provides content and curriculum materials for teaching about coniferous forests.

Grades 4-12

Sonoma County Office of Education

Project WILD is a resource for teaching about organisms and ecology.  Grades K-12

WILD
Aquatic is a K-12 curriculum resource for teaching about aquatic organisms and
ecology.

Sonoma County Office of Education

Redwood Ed is a resource that provides both content and curriculum materials for teaching about the coast redwoods.  4th-12th grades.

The California Education and Environment Initiative curriculum is an on-line resource for teachers and is designed to work in coordination with existing textbooks that teachers are already familiar with. The standards-based curriculum teaches History/Social Science standards to mastery, while supporting English Language Arts. This workshop will review all of the classroom support resources and materials available and the unique connection to relevant California topics.

Click here to register.

The Sonoma County Water Agency has scheduled three Community Service Days this school year. The first two involve planting native species in local creeks to improve habitat for steelhead and salmon.  The third will be a creek cleanup. High school and middle school students can earn three community service hours and learn a bit about riparian ecology while having a good time with friends. The Community Service Days are also a first step in getting students interested in the “Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps”which is a paid summer jobs program that helps students learn job-readiness skills.

Teachers can contact the Water Agency by calling Stefan Klakovich at (707) 547-1930 for more information or to arrange a class presentation.

February 2, 9-12 noon: Native planting

Five Creek, Rohnert Park (Cross Street Ellen Street)
Park at Eagle Park on Emily Road

March 9, 9-12noon: Creek cleanup
Pollen Creek, Santa Rosa (Cross Street: Guerneville Road)
Park at Northwest Community Park on Marlow Road

The Sonoma County Water Agency has scheduled three Community Service Days this school year. The first two involve planting native species in local creeks to improve habitat for steelhead and salmon.  The third will be a creek cleanup. High school and middle school students can earn three community service hours and learn a bit about riparian ecology while having a good time with friends. The Community Service Days are also a first step in getting students interested in the “Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps”which is a paid summer jobs program that helps students learn job-readiness skills.

Teachers can contact the Water Agency by calling Stefan Klakovich at (707) 547-1930 for more information or to arrange a class presentation.

March 9, 9-12noon: Creek cleanup

Pollen Creek, Santa Rosa (Cross Street: Guerneville Road)
Park at Northwest Community Park on Marlow Road

The Sonoma County Water Agency has scheduled three Community Service Days this school year. The first two involve planting native species in local creeks to improve habitat for steelhead and salmon.  The third will be a creek cleanup. High school and middle school students can earn three community service hours and learn a bit about riparian ecology while having a good time with friends. The Community Service Days are also a first step in getting students interested in the “Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps”which is a paid summer jobs program that helps students learn job-readiness skills.

Teachers can contact the Water Agency by calling Stefan Klakovich at (707) 547-1930 for more information or to arrange a class presentation.

January 12, 9-12 noon: Native planting
Corona Creek, Petaluma  (Near Sonoma Mountain Pkwy and Corona Road)
Park on Maria Drive (cross street Telford Lane)

February 2, 9-12 noon: Native planting
Five Creek, Rohnert Park (Cross Street Ellen Street)
Park at Eagle Park on Emily Road

March 9, 9-12noon: Creek cleanup
Pollen Creek, Santa Rosa (Cross Street: Guerneville Road)
Park at Northwest Community Park on Marlow Road

Humanity is faced with an array of environmental problems that threaten a collapse of civilization.  They include climate disruption, loss of biodiversity (and thus ecosystem services), land-use change and resulting degradation, global toxification, ocean acidification, decay of the epidemiological environment, serious resource depletion, and resource wars (which could go nuclear). This is not just a list of problems, it is an interconnected complex, driven by overpopulation, overconsumption among the rich, and the use of environmentally malign technologies and socio-economic-political arrangements to service the consumption. The situation is so serious that it demands a coordinated response from the academic community that thus far has not materialized.

See link to RSVP.

From day trips to overnights to in-school programs while integrating the Environmental Education Initiative (EEI) Curriculum into your classroom, find out what the California State Parks has to offer your classroom. California State Parks offer many educational opportunities for students to learn science and environmental stewardship through hands-on experiences in places where lasting memories are made.

www.smud.org/etc

This energizing workshop is directed at teachers in grades K-6. California Regional Environment Education Center (CREEC) and The Placer Nature Center presenters will show how to present energy concepts with singing, dancing, art activities, journaling, and skits. A classroom kit including Project Learning Tree curriculum, music CD, and DVD will be provided.

www.smud.org/etc.

Tor Allen from the Rahus Institute will show you how to integrate solar energy education into existing curriculum while teaching students the value of renewable energy sources. Teachers will receive hands-on classroom activities correlated to the California content standards, a teacher guide, solar science supplies, and build a solar cooker and a solar powered whirly-gig.

www.smud.org/etc

6:45pm-7:00pm: Socializing/networking

7:00-7:25pm: Ian Winters on Responsive Installations Based on Attention, Social Memory and the Use of Motion-Capture Analysis, A look at projects that explore the observation and choreography of the viewer’s or participant’s attention and physical movement with a widespread use and integration of sensor-based systems

7:25-7:50pm: Christina Smolke (Stanford) on Synthetic Biology: The Next Generation of Biotechnology. A discussion on research in the field of Synthetic Biology that is directed toward bridging the design gap and advancing our capabilities to design sophisticated biological systems.

8:10-8:35pm: Mark Jacobson (Stanford) on A Plan to Power the World For All Purposes With Wind, Water, and the Sun. This talk discusses a plan to solve the problems of global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity by powering 100% of the world’s energy for all purposes, including electricity, transportation, industry, and heating/cooling, with wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) within 20-40 years.

8:35pm-9:00pm: Paul Rabinow (UC Berkeley) and Adrian van Allen on Synthetic biology and Security. As the capacities of synthetic biology develop, the potential for a range of risks and dangers grows. How should we think about the ratios of capacities and dangers? More broadly how should we think about design when it comes to living beings?

http://www.leonardo.info/isast/events.html

Learn about the state-of-the-art sonar systems being used by USGS scientists to explore such fascinating underwater features as the San Andreas Fault, giant sand dunes beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and tsunami-generated landslide debris.

For more information or to learn how you can watch a webcast, call 650-329-5000

http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar/

Dr. Chris Pincetich, of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, studies shoreline marine debris at Point Reyes National Seashore and into SF Bay, collecting detailed density data on plastic pollution and discovering treasures along the way! His research dovetails into a habitat assessment for leatherback feeding areas offshore (plastic is deadly!) and will be a great baseline dataset for Japan tsunami debris and America’s Cup waste pulses.

For more information email JKodiak@earthlink.net or call (415) 225-3830

http://www.sfns.org/

This is largest Western U.S. coastal wetlands restoration project, encompassing 15,100 acres of former salt ponds around the edge of South San Francisco Bay. The project will restore and enhance South Bay wetlands for endangered species and migratory birds while providing flood management and wildlife oriented public access and recreation. USGS multidisciplinary science is guiding the restoration effort, providing an integral part of the adaptive management process being used to restore this area over the next 50 years. Scientists are conducting studies in avian and invertebrate biology, water quality, hydrology, geomorphology, and chemistry to better understand the wetland ecosystem

Speaker: Laura Valoppi

For information call 650-329-5000

http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar/

Plastics are like a hidden, daily oil spill – an unending stream of toxic and non-biodegradable litter entering the world and our bodies.  Can recycling plastics solve the problem of plastic litter, and the poisoning of the food web?  Where are we going with ocean cleanup and product stewardship?  What are the plastics of greatest concern?  Join Sanjen Miedzinski, Ph.D. and Beth Terry of Green Sangha to learn about the effects of litter, how recycling falls short, and what businesses and governments can do to stop the plague of plastic pollution.

Speakers: Sanjen Miedzinski and Beth Terry, Green Sangha

http://www.ecologycenter.org/calendar/event.php?eventID=38560

The workshop will focus on the preparation needed to get a habitat started at your school this fall and the resources available. Topics will include the purpose of schoolyard habitats with native plants, formation of a team, assessment of your site, development of a master plan and design, project needs, resources, and funding. The second workshop in the series will be offered this fall, with topics to include plant selection, attracting birds and butterflies, pest control and water management, and “hands-on” planting methods. The third workshop will also be offered in the fall, and will focus on using on-campus habitats for science, language arts, project-based learning, after-school programs, and community engagement.

http://sdcanhabitatworkshops-eivtefrnd.eventbrite.com/

The workshop will focus on the preparation needed to get a habitat started at your school this fall and the resources available. Topics will include the purpose of schoolyard habitats with native plants, formation of a team, assessment of your site, development of a master plan and design, project needs, resources, and funding. The second workshop in the series will be offered this fall, with topics to include plant selection, attracting birds and butterflies, pest control and water management, and “hands-on” planting methods. The third workshop will also be offered in the fall, and will focus on using on-campus habitats for science, language arts, project-based learning, after-school programs, and community engagement.

http://sdcanhabitatworkshops-eivtefrnd.eventbrite.com/

The youth forum is an opportunity for students to discuss what they understand about the future of our region with respect to resource use, waste reduction, and key challenges. The goal is to empower students to speak out and make a difference.

Free event, but registration is required.

http://registeryouthforum.eventbrite.com/

In many areas of the United States, excessive pumping and groundwater overdraft are causing rivers and wetlands to go dry. In western states, where most surface water has long been fully appropriated, growing populations have turned increasingly to groundwater, leading to decreases in streamflows, conflicts with surface water rights, and harm to fish and wildlife. States have begun the process of reforming outdated laws and policies, some more ambitiously than others, and with mixed results. In this talk, we will look at the experience of Oregon, New Mexico, and Texas, and explore steps that states have taken to limit groundwater pumping while avoiding undue harm to regional economies. We will also examine the role of discuss the role of the endangered species protections, environmental organizations and water trusts in precipitating these changes. Further, we will explore how states used tools such as basin closures; groundwater rights, mitigation, and water markets to promote sustainable water use. We will conclude by looking at what else states should be doing to manage groundwater and surface water conjunctively, as a single resource, to promote a healthy environment and healthy economies. Speaker: Matt Heberger, Pacific Institute, Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning Colloquium.

http://laep.ced.berkeley.edu/events/colloquium.

How will climate change impact our local Bay Area coastal and estuarine environments and lives? This three-part series is designed for teachers to learn from scientists how the local ocean and estuaries are being used as laboratories to collect data used to understand climate change, and gain to knowledge and tools for implementation of local climate change curriculum. Participants are encouraged to attend all or part of the series and will receive stipends based on their attendance.

Saturday, November 3, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm (Changing Climate Guaranteed – Ready, Set, Adapt)

Teachers grades 6-12. Register at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/climate_series.

How will climate change impact our local Bay Area coastal and estuarine environments and lives? This three-part series is designed for teachers to learn from scientists how the local ocean and estuaries are being used as laboratories to collect data used to understand climate change, and gain to knowledge and tools for implementation of local climate change curriculum. Participants are encouraged to attend all or part of the series and will receive stipends based on their attendance. July 11 will include a field trip to Hog Island Oyster Company.

Tuesday-Wednesday, July 10-11, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm (Ocean Acidification – Trouble for Shelled Species)

Saturday, November 3, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm (Changing Climate Guaranteed – Ready, Set, Adapt)

Teachers grades 6-12. Register at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/climate_series

Global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity are three of the most significant problems facing the world today. This talk discusses a plan to solve the problems by powering 100% of the world’s energy for all purposes, including electricity, transportation, industry, and heating/cooling, with wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) within 20-40 years. It reviews and ranks major proposed energy technologies to these problems then evaluates a scenario for powering the world with the best technologies.

Speaker: Mark Z. Jacobson, Stanford

http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/news/Scientifique.html

What are the current discussions in regards to global warming and climate change? Is there a real threat of the earth heating up to the point of no return? Let’s discuss what is happening and what we can do about it. Join Ranger Tom in a discussion about our changing world. http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/bmvc/bmjourney/calendar/bi_monthly/front.html

Participants will be introduced to the world of wild mushrooms including classification types, life cycle, and environmental impact. Take an easy 2-mile hike to learn how these beautiful fungi are so essential to a healthy ecosystem! Meet at the day use parking area with sturdy hiking shoes, layered clothing, water, and an optional sack lunch. Reservations required. Register online or call (408) 355-2240.

50 States. 1 Year. Zero Garbage? Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road – traveling with hope, humor, and all of their garbage – to explore every state in America (the good, the bad…and the weird) in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crises. As the YERT team layers outlandish eco-challenges onto their year-long quest, an unexpected turn of events pushes them to the brink in this award-winning docu-comedy. Featuring Bill McKibben, Wes Jackson, Will Allen, Janine Benyus, Joel Salatin, David Orr, and others.

Join us for a screening of this feature length film, followed by discussion with the film’s producer and star, Mark Dixon.

This is part of the Regenerating Solutions Salon Series.

http://ecologycenter.org/calendar/event.php?eventID=37797.