Discussion: Please Introduce Yourself

The Discussion areas are a place to introduce yourself to fellow participants and to post comments relating to each conference session. Discussions Jump in and share!

Please take a moment to introduce yourself to conference participants. You might like to tell us where you work, what city and country you are in, and about your interest in climate change. What do you hope to learn? What do you have to share regarding the study of climate change issues?

Add your introduction in the Comments box below. Or call the LearningTimes record-by-phone system to record an audio introduction; select audio messages will appear here as well. The number in US/Canada is 1-800-609-9006 x8055. (Outside of US/Canada, call 678-255-2174 x8055).

We look forward to meeting you!

- The Smithsonian Online Education Conference: Climate Change

Posted in: Discussion, Featured on September 25th by Conference Coordinators

242 Comments

Comment by Andrea Malmont — September 26, 2009 @ 6:03 pm

Hello folks! I am Andrea Malmont from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, PA. I teach both the graduate and undergraduates in the Teacher Education Department. One of the courses I teach is Science in the Elementary School. One of my goals of this conf. is to provide more resources for our future teachers to use and apply in the classroom!

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Comment by Jose Brenes — September 26, 2009 @ 6:14 pm

Greetings from Costa Rica

As a retired Physics University of Costa Rica professor, I would like to thank in advance to all who will participate in this on line event. Climate change is something we have to act upon, and not only lurk

I will appretiate your visiting our site
http://www.webdelambiente.com (regretfully in Spanish)
where we are posting the actual data (updated every 10 minutes) of some 15 voluntary weather stations in an effort to foster a scientific culture in the regular fellow
Any critic, suggestion,idea, etc WELCOME

Bests

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Comment by Lucy Samayoa — September 26, 2009 @ 6:40 pm

Hello!!! My name is Lucy Samayoa, I live in Guatemala City. I am the coordinator of the IBSE (Inquiry based science education) project in Guatemala. This project involves, for now, public and private elementary schools. In latin america the project is called ECBI. As professor Brenes said before … climate change affects all of us, and we have to learn how to act upon them. As a teacher my obligation is to learn about this new approaches so I can let know other teachers and students of all ages that surround me.

Thanks for the opportunity … we hope we can share in helping the planet a little bit more.

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Jose Brenes Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Lucy

Si requeris que tus estudiantes contacten algunos de nuestros estudiantes, con gusto te ayudo

jbrenes54@gmail.com

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Comment by JANE VELLA — September 26, 2009 @ 7:00 pm

I am a 78 year old educator, who has been involved with adult learning for the past fifty years. I live a quiet retired life in Raleigh, North Carolina, Retirement means learning to me – I have a number of exciting autonomous learning projects.

I am delighted to join you all in this vital study of the prime learning project of the twenty-first century!

Thank you!

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Comment by Tara — September 26, 2009 @ 7:06 pm

Hi! My name is Tara. I live in Florida where I am a first grade teacher. I am passionate about my job and having students learn about the world around them. I believe it is critical to teach children at an early age to take care of their environment.

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Comment by Michael Warner — September 26, 2009 @ 7:17 pm

Hello from Tempe, Arizona where today’s expected high temperature is 101 deg F. I am a full time secondary math teacher in a public high school where I also serve as the faculty adviser to the Robotics Club, the Health Occupations Preparedness Education Club, and the Students Against Destructive Decisions Club. I am also an Adjunct Instructor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University where I teach math, Meteorology, and Environmental Science courses. I look forward to interacting with you all on this very important topic.

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Comment by Thea Leonard — September 26, 2009 @ 7:51 pm

Hello! I am looking forward to working with everyone during this conference. I am employed by Kaplan University as an online instructor from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I teach General Science and Environmental Science to undergraduates. I hope to learn more about current research on the complex workings of climate change to share with my students.

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Comment by Bonnie Z. — September 26, 2009 @ 7:54 pm

Hello, everyone! I’m from Texas where I’m a paraprofessional in an elementary school. I’m also a senior in college. I’ll receive my BSIS in EC-6 in May 2010. I hope to be teaching 1st or 2nd grade next year. I think it’s crucial that our children learn to protect the environment. I believe it is critical to teach children at an early age to take care of their environment. I hope to pick up some information that I can use in my future classroom. Thanks for this opportunity!

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Comment by Terry Berg — September 26, 2009 @ 8:02 pm

Hello from Vancouver Canada. I am currently wearing two hats … I teach math and physics at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and I decided last year to become a student again. I am attending UBC to pick up a PhD in Sustainable Education, rather than plod along planning for retirement.

Simply stated, we must leave the younger generations with the awareness to both understand and work to mitigate and adapt to future changes. Morally, I believe we educators have little other option.

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Comment by Rebecca — September 26, 2009 @ 8:19 pm

Greetings! My name is Rebecca. For many years I was an elementary teacher for many years, as well as an author of children books and teacher resource books. I currently design and teach courses for adults. Science education is a strong interest for me. I design interactive online courses in science areas for teachers. I look forward to our sessions and discussions on this “hot” topic!

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Comment by Antonio Ingles Jr — September 26, 2009 @ 9:11 pm

We stand today before a wounded creation which suffers because of us. To be just, it is not enough to refrain from injustice. Let us heal this wounded home of ours and be very sorry for the injustice we have done. “…Just as the cosmos itself can be ruptured and torn apart by injustice…it can be healed by all human efforts to bring justice back to human relationships…(M. Fox). This is an invitation to eagerly seek the Kingdom of God, our Creator and his righteousness (justice), and pray that the fruits of his creation will be added unto us.

Hi I’m Antonio Ingles Jr from Manila Philippines. I have been teaching for the last 17 years. I have worked as Christian Living Education (CLE) high school teacher in Assumption College, religion/theology teacher in Centro Escolar University (CEU), in St. Paul College of Manila (SPCM) now a University, and here in our College, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

Working with and helping the marginalized sectors of our society since my seminary days until today have always been my passion and mission, and I am dreaming that one day if God’s generosity allows, I will build a school in the rural areas, a school for life to empower them for it is an urgent call to action by the rural poor: the indigenous people, the rural women, the fisherfolks, the farmers, the rural youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities and the informal sector. Because of this, I have sought a framework that holistically ties everything together, that allows us to understand society, the world, and our place in it, and that could help us make the critical decisions which will shape our future (Heylighen, 2000). I have been blessed to find a framework of “Right-Relations” or even better as “Life-Giving Relationships” in four directions: to God, to oneself, to neighbor (both as individual and as part of society) and to creation as a whole. Life-Giving Relationship is justice-concept and justice-practice based on a holistic view of Hebraic Covenant Theology (Fuellenbach, 1998).

But to sustain this framework I have realized that my background in Philosophy, Theology, Religious Education and Education are not enough. Then I have sought the help from Social Sciences and I discovered a doctoral program in Applied Cosmic Anthropology (ACA) in Asian Social Institute (ASI). ASI is an Asian Graduate School of Social Transformative Praxis towards Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation founded by Fr. Francis Senden, CICM. ACA is designed for policy-makers and implementors who have the ability to process transformational change within themselves and others, who are currently working in an institution involved in managing change, and who are in touch and can communicate with both the masses and elite. This doctoral program prepares leaders of institutions to exercise effective leadership for the 21st century and beyond.

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Comment by julia — September 26, 2009 @ 9:44 pm

hello all! my name is julia, I am a 5th grade teacher at a bilingual school only a few miles away from the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, DC. I am looking forward to the conference especially the tie ins to current day issues and how that can help my students be pro-active in helping prevent climate change.

Questions I have… I wonder about the rate of climate change that is occurring because I have heard that estimates are showing that the temperature is rising at a faster rate than previously expected. I am also interested in the politics of climate change and what are nations (like the US) going to do to lower carbon emissions and whether the slow but steady changes that occur in congress are going to be too little to late.

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Comment by Craig Anthony Thomas — September 26, 2009 @ 9:50 pm

Texas-size greetings to all.

I am a Houston-based information architect with emphases in K-16 curriculum design and professional development training in literacy and digital photography. I eagerly await the exchange of ideas and experiences with climate change workshop leaders and participants.

And if this workshop is as engaging as the Smithsonian’s previous conference on Abe Lincoln’s 200th birthday, then may the Saints be praised!

Cheers,
Craig

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Comment by Brian Bantugan — September 26, 2009 @ 10:07 pm

Hi everyone,

I’m Brian bantugan. I’m from the Philippines working as Institutional Research Officer of St. Paul University Manila. I’m also a PhD candidate of University of the Philippines. This is the first time I am joining an online conference so I am very excited to take part in the exchanges among you. I hope I can build netwroks with all of you as well.

Hoping for a productive conference.

All the best,
Brian

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Comment by Delreco Bonaby — September 26, 2009 @ 10:23 pm

Hello!! My name is Delreco Bonaby, I am a freshman at the College of The Bahamas in Nassau. I am currently enrolled in a biochemistry program but plan to transfer to a university in the United States or Canada and begin an Environmental Science program. I am enthused by the fact that the organizers of this event have chosen have it be an online conference thus allowing persons as far away as I am to participate. I am pleased to be a part of this conference and hope I will acquire an extensive amount of information.

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Comment by Shibly Sadik — September 27, 2009 @ 12:48 am

Hey fellows. My Name is Shibly Sadik (call me Shibly). I have earned my BSC in Environmental science (in 2006)and MSC in water resources development (in 2009). I have worked on Climate change and Livelihood Resilience.
My fields of interest: Climate change and Mangrove, Resilience based Governance of Mangrove Forest resources, Resilience based Adaptation strategy for Mangrove dependent community, Climate change impact on Hydrologic Events.

Please let me know if you are also working on aforementioned fields.
My email: ssjony@gmail.com

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Comment by Mitch — September 27, 2009 @ 1:06 am

Hello, I’m Michelle Mitchell, I am a self-employed graphic layout design artist, and an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Pablo, MT. I have several contracts with Salish Kootenai College and hope to gain a better understanding of not only what is being done, but also what we can do to be catalyst to change. I too am enthused that the organizers of this event have decided to organize an online conference. I am excited to become a part of something bigger that will make a difference.

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Comment by Jorge Recharte — September 27, 2009 @ 5:24 am

From the window of my office I am blessed with the most stupendous view of Cordillera Blanca (The White Range), the largest group of tropical glaciers in the world, now receding fast into blackness with warmer temperatures. I find myself deeply moved and touched by the fact that these jewels of nature will be gone for ever. The mountain peoples of this range, many rural communities dotting the hills, a few large cities in the valleys below and everyone living here is concerned with the implications of this huge transformation. Myself hoping to respond to all this in a meaningful way, first of all by learning to listen to the soft voices of nature and to the wisdom of people living in these mountains for millenniums. I work for The Mountain Institute in Huaraz, Peru.

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Comment by Gilda — September 27, 2009 @ 7:07 am

Greetings from Perth, Western Australia. I am currently developing and delivering the Diploma of Sustainability for Central TAFE. I have 55 dedicated students (Interior Designers, Engineers, Artists, other Lecturers etc) in my pilot groups and I am extremely happy with progress. Next year I am putting more emphasis on climate change, but living sustainably will by default assist meeting climate change goals.

I was recently at a ClimateChange Seminar and saw a panel member screw up and throw three pieces of paper into the bin (not recycling bin). It always amazes me that many people don’t understand the processes that are involved with the production and consumption of all goods and services (the Life Cycle Analysis) and that everything contributes to climate change. It is not just cars,but the whole production and transportation process that contributes to climate change.

Living sustainably is our future and having an understanding of Life Cycle Analysis can significantly change the way people look at the amount of pollution and resources consumed by everything that is produced. The climate will be the winner.

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Comment by Tom Perry — September 27, 2009 @ 7:43 am

A fall welcome to all. As the leaves of autumn are beginning to happen upon us, I look around and am amazed at the beauty that nature has for us to watch each fall. Then I look back to the issues at hand for us: global warming, major climate shifts, and the threats that come with those issues. I teach at Elkland Area Middle School, Tioga County, in the heart of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon Country. We are not far from Corning, NY. If you have heard of Corning Ware or Pyrex, well you have a small idea of where we are at. I have roughly 85 students combined in the seventh and eighth grade. My students are from a rural area that has a major luxury, naivity. I grew up in this area and throughout my youth I lived in my own little world not worrying about what was happening around the globe. How could that ever affect me? Unfortunately, we no longer have the luxury of living in that world. So, rather than strip my students of all of their naivity, I want them to understand the issues from some of the top subject matter experts in the world. I want them to understand that they do have a place in the global community and they may not be able to solve all of the issues of the world. However, they can be, as Ghandi stated, “the change that they want to see.” By learning the issues and what they can do to increase the knowledge of others, they in their own small way can begin to make the changes that are important for our species to continue to flourish. I thank you for this opportunity for my students and myself to broaden our horizons.

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Comment by Natasha Jackson — September 27, 2009 @ 9:24 am

Hi,

I’m a new 5th grade teacher and business owner. This is my first Smithsonian workshop. I look forward to learning new information that I can share with my students and or co-workers.

I am a resident of Illinois but I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

I hope this will be exciting!

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Comment by Aamir Abbasi — September 27, 2009 @ 10:23 am

Hi, I am student of 2nd years M.A in Museology. I am intrested to know how to protect museum objects from climate changes and new technique to protect museums objects.

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Comment by Rhonda Spidell — September 27, 2009 @ 10:28 am

I’m an 8th grade teacher of Earth Systems science in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I’ve have been involved with teaching global climate change for the last 8 years. I’m interested in learning what the Smithsonian will present to the global community during the on-line workshop.

I’m also looking forward to hearing from everyone.

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Comment by Erica A. — September 27, 2009 @ 11:57 am

Hello! I am an 8th grade Computer Graphics teacher in the D.C./Metropolitan Area. I am interested in not only getting my students more engaged in learning through the computer, but I also want them to become more engaged in how science and art relate to one another. I am very excited to see how my students are motivated by this opportunity.

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Comment by Ma Gia Ras — September 27, 2009 @ 12:59 pm

Hi! I’m Ma. Gia Ras and I teach Chemistry (Honors and Advance Placement) in Dr. Henry Wise HS in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. I have joined internship summer programs in Florida and Maryland regarding issues on the environment for the past 3 years and I take pleasure in sharing all these experiences with my students. I want to learn more and be updated and hopefully receive some curriculum materials for integration of environmental concerns in my chemistry classes.

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Comment by Shoshana G — September 27, 2009 @ 1:17 pm

Hello! My name is Shoshana Gitlin and I am 9th grade Environmental Science teacher in Washington, D.C. I work at a high needs school and my students have very little knowledge of the climate and real world issues and teaching them about it has been very challenging (the school has no recycling program!). Any resources I can get/information is a great help!

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Comment by John Thompson — September 27, 2009 @ 1:18 pm

Hi! John here. I’ve been an educator for 40 years. Teach most of my college grad courses online, which is pretty green, especially compared to F2F teaching. Recently I’ve gotten more into “green” and began doing presentations on desktop green computing (e.g., PC power management). My next presentation is at the upcoming Virtualization, Cloud Computing & Green IT Summit in Washington, DC. But my real intro to green was as a consultant, mostly TQM, for the Illinois EPA, which had a great group of committed people. Really miss those folks. Looking forward to the Smithsonian conference.

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Comment by Martha Barss — September 27, 2009 @ 2:05 pm

I am a K-12 environmental educator at a school for girls in Baltimore Maryland. I teach a course on the Geology and Ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and also work with a 12th grade student to measure the school’s carbon footprint each year. I am interested in integrating material on climate change and actions we can take into the school curriculum at all levels. I look forward to meeting other educators through this conference and to learning from each other.

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Comment by Michael B. McKenna — September 27, 2009 @ 2:17 pm

Good afternoon, I teach at the undergraduate level in the School of Business and Administration at Kaplan University, I teach on line, I live in Williamsburg, VA and I am retired from the Eastman Kodak Company after a great career of 30 years. I am and have been very interested and concerned about the progressively deteriorating condition of our environment; this is my first time to participate in a forum such as this, I am looking forward to participating.

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Comment by Melinda Wright — September 27, 2009 @ 2:18 pm

Howdy from Texas! I am a Science Coach at an elementary school on Fort Hood, TX, USA. This is the first year for our science lab. I am looking forward to learning from the conference and all of you!

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Comment by Nancy — September 27, 2009 @ 2:19 pm

Hello from Southeast Missouri! I teach biology and chemistry in a rural high school. Being able to explain how scientist conduct research is a tremendous boost.

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Comment by Gary Putman — September 27, 2009 @ 2:58 pm

I am the K-12 Science and Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Schenectady City District in upstate NY.

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Comment by adolfo arrieta — September 27, 2009 @ 3:14 pm

Hello, I’m Adolfo Arrieta. I’m a professor at Universidad de Sucre, in Sincelejo, Colombia. I’m eager to participate and learn with you on climate change.

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Comment by Amanda Truett — September 27, 2009 @ 3:46 pm

Greetings All, I am Amanda Truett, prof of marine, estuarine, and environmental sciences at Montgomery College near Washington DC. I also serve as the college coordinator of our Smithsonian Faculty Fellows. My colleagues and I are interested in developing “Students without Borders” programs focusing on global climate adaptation strategies. I am thankful that the Smithsonian has arranged this conference so that we might possibly work together to achieve common goals in sustainability.

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Comment by Kristin Lampe — September 27, 2009 @ 4:43 pm

Hello all-

My name is Kristin Lampe and I am a teacher of biology, environmental science, and health science in a health science high school one hour north of Charlotte, NC. I am trying to make all my students aware of the consequences of decisions they make in relation to the environment. My students are already in the process of studying environmental change in their classwork as well as projects. One way I hope to gain more enthusiasm is to show the students part of the conferences. I also hope to improve my knowledge as well since I originally trained as a nurse. I am hoping that the topics and evidence we see as a part of this conference will tie into our readings in class. I am very thankful to the Smithsonian in their efforts to make this information available to all.

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Comment by aspen hopkins — September 27, 2009 @ 4:45 pm

Hello, my name is Aspen Hopkins. I am interested in this subject and am hoping to have a greater understanding of climate changes and how it will affect us in the future.

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Comment by Sandra Roth — September 27, 2009 @ 4:48 pm

Hola to everyone from everywhere. My name is Sandra Roth. I have worked and lived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for the last 4 years. I am an alumni from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. I am a tour guide in the Sierra Madre montains. I teach and learn everday about the environment, flora, and fauna in the area with my tourists. It will be nice to learn somethings from all the experts. I can take this knowledge and pass this information on to my tourists. I am very thankful to be able to listen and learn from this conference online because I would not be able to fly to the Smithsonian personally.

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Comment by Dr. Charles Savage — September 27, 2009 @ 5:26 pm

What a wonderful group of participants. We are up against it and education of this type is so necessary. Am teaching MBA Leadership courses in Germany and India and realize there are massive changes coming to our business lives.

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Comment by Grisel Berrios — September 27, 2009 @ 5:43 pm

Hello! I am Grisel – 6th Grade Science teacher at Walter C. Young Middle School, Florida. I want to learn more about global climate. I want to be able to bring to the classroom more strategies to teach climate and weather. I am very excited to be part of this web seminar.

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Comment by Sandy — September 27, 2009 @ 5:50 pm

Greetings from Ocean Grove, New Jersey. I am an English prof at Brookdale Community College. I teach first-year composition with a focus on environmental issues. It is the interdisciplinary perspective of the conference that brings me here. Can’t wait to get started..

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Comment by Len Forster — September 27, 2009 @ 5:50 pm

I have spent my entire life as a professional student, and I am particularly interested in the issues of climate change. I believe that much of what we see and hear in the media today about climate change is more motivated by politics and economic gain than by scientific fact. I also believe that changes in climate are cyclical and that we are experiencing a normal cycle of change in the earth’s climate, perhaps accelerated by human activity, but inevitable without or without humans. Since I am a professional translator and language teacher (Spanish and ESL), not a scientist, I am here to see what the scientific community in the character of the Smithsonian has to say on the issue. You could call me a doubting Thomas on issues of climate change.

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Comment by Vicki Vaartjes — September 27, 2009 @ 7:10 pm

Hi all, My name is Vicki Vaartjes and I am joing you from Sydney Australia. My work is primarily in the area of executive effectiveness and the subject of climate change and the implications for business is something that I want to learn more about.

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Linda Bradburn Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Hi Vicki
Looks like there are only a few of us from Australai. Greetings from Melton.

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Comment by Myrna Lee — September 27, 2009 @ 7:42 pm

Hola!

I’m Myrna Lee Torres from Puerto Rico. I’m a proud Librarian and work at the University of Puerto Rico as public service coordinator at nights.

Why i’m here? I wish to learn more about climate change, because i see this changes every day in a world and at my place. Puerto Rico is a tropical island so you never feel the change but in the last years, you can feel cold in winter (for us, at least for me…60F is cold…)

As librarian i wish to know more(is always a pleasure know more), to teach and show to my students the relevance of this issue.

Hope to pass a great time in this new journey!

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Comment by Melissa — September 27, 2009 @ 8:41 pm

I’m a student at Troy State University majoring in Art Education. I just wanted to say that this online conference is an awesome idea! Environmental issues concern each and every one of us and I’m so excited to be able to participate.

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Comment by Jennifer Williams — September 27, 2009 @ 9:28 pm

Hi everyone,
My name is Jennifer and I am a graduate student in anthropology. I am looking forward to learn more about this very important topic that affects us all.
Jennifer

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Comment by Brent Campbell — September 27, 2009 @ 9:30 pm

Hello Everyone,
It is a pleasure to be attending along with you this online conference on Global Climate Change and the impact to our social communities. I am an Adjunct Professor teaching various Communication Courses at Kaplan University, South Univ…ersity, Barry University, Everglades University, and Palm Beach State College. I am passionate on the human element of communication and employing critical thinking to invoke change. I plan to use this conference’s outcomes and discussions in my various classes to empower my students to communicate actions needed to the leaders of government and industry for positive and immediate change to save our planet from destruction.
I live in South Florida where there is great concern on the impact global change is having to our oceans and our atmosphere. I look forward to meeting many of you and exchanging ideas in hearty discussion.
May the week and this conference be a fruitful and prosperous one for us all!
Regards,
Brent Campbell

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Comment by Winnie Langelaar — September 27, 2009 @ 10:24 pm

Hello,
I’m looking forward to this conference. I am a regular classroom grade 5 teacher at Washington Christian Academy in Olney, Maryland.
I find it quite interesting living just outside of Washington, DC, especially the discussions among my Scientist friends regarding Global Warming. I teach unit on earth science and our impact on the earth is a part of the unit.
I hope to gain more insight into this issue.

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Comment by Silviu Serban — September 27, 2009 @ 10:48 pm

Hello,

I am Silviu (pronounced: SILvyooh), live in Toronto, Canada, and a librarian. Like you all, I am interested in the subject, and, by knowing more about it through this online conference, I would like to be able to help the local communities.

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Comment by María Rosa Judez — September 27, 2009 @ 11:36 pm

Hello everybody, I am María Rosa Judez, 56 years old, medical doctor, clinician and investigator, I made specialization on Obesity and another about Human development. . I was a gym owner. My private consultation is as a Medical Quality of Life Counselor, but many years working in academic area and speaker too. Just leaving a position as Academic Director .
I live in Mexico City all my life and as you know is a very polluted, violent and difficult city. So I’m in the way to move to Cancun. A great difference.

I am very interested on this problem of climate.
It is a pleasure and honor to be working with such a wonderful group.
Greetings, Maria Rosa

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Comment by Jeanine Hemel — September 28, 2009 @ 12:36 am

This is my fourth year teaching science in a rural middle school outside Portland, Oregon, USA. Some children have been brought up to understand the balance of nature by hunting or raising their own food. These children know that they are stewards of the world around them. Others have the impression that nothing humans do will make any change to the world they see, because it has always been green and beautiful. The more I know, the more I can share about the evidence that is piling up. All I can do is share and help them understand how to evaluate information. The rest is up to them.

Thanks for this opportunity!

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Comment by Candice Brock Taylor — September 28, 2009 @ 12:44 am

Hello everyone,
I am a sophomore at Montgomery College, majoring in Environmental Science & Policy. I am originally from Baltimore but currently reside in Montgomery County, Md. I signed up for this conference in hopes of gaining more knowledge of current events in my field. I look forward to communicating with all of you and hope that we can all gain something positive from this conference.

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Comment by Miltiathis Charamis — September 28, 2009 @ 6:52 am

Hello from Greece! I’m a Physics teacher in High School. My students and I are really looking forward to this event. Climate change is maybe the hottest(!) environmenetal issue of our times and one that will probably influence our lives and the lives of our children permanently.

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Comment by Marti Pugh — September 28, 2009 @ 7:48 am

Hello, my name is Marti Pugh and I teach High School World History and Cultures. I am looking for new ways to stimulate and awareness of the global warming issue with my students and ways to encourage their involvement in the world they will soon inherit. Our hope for the future lies with getting young adults engaged in the issue and being willing to listen to their ideas.

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Comment by LeighAnne Seay — September 28, 2009 @ 8:12 am

Hello everyone. I am LeighAnne Seay. I am a Special Education Resource teacher in a rural area in Alabama. We are about an hour from Mobile and are always looking for ways to introduce new topics to our students. This will provide us with valuable resources otherwise not available to us in our area.

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Comment by Tina Richardson Sweeney — September 28, 2009 @ 8:20 am

Good Morning! My name is Tina and I am a Guest Teacher in Gloucester County, Virginia. I am looking forward to this conference and plan on using what I learn in the classroom and in my own life. By teaching our youth the impact of climate change we can encourage them to take better care of the Earth as they mature.

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Comment by Jen — September 28, 2009 @ 8:26 am

Hello everyone,
I teach science to junior high students in the Boston area. Looking forward to learning more about the ongoing research regarding climate change, as well as ideas for simple, positive impact that can be passed on to students.

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Comment by Sarah Olson — September 28, 2009 @ 8:48 am

Hi everyone! My name is Sarah Olson and I hail from Massillon, Ohio. I work for Kaplan University School of Health Sciences as an Assistant Chair – I have been in this position for about 1 1/2 years. I signed up for this conference due to personal interest in climate change, and possibly to see the effects on how we provide health care to current and future generations.
Looking forward to meeting everyone!

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Comment by Patricia Erikson — September 28, 2009 @ 9:15 am

I am an adjunct professor in the American and New England Studies Department at the University of Southern Maine who will teach an American in the Arctic course this year to graduate students in our program. I also am an instructional consultant running my own business who works with integrating science and social studies education. In my former life, I worked as a geologist in land use and groundwater hydrology. I look forward to this online conference.
Patricia Erikson

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Comment by Sara Henry — September 28, 2009 @ 9:19 am

Hello all! I am an engineering librarian and I work with Environmental Engineering and Atmospheric, Oceanic & Space Sciences at a university. I’m taking initiative to learn more about the fields and the issues that they are concerned with – including climate change & it’s effects.

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Comment by Toni Ruscio — September 28, 2009 @ 9:20 am

Hello! My name is Toni Ruscio. I am a theatre arts/drama teacher at Sacred Heart Elementary School and Saint Francis Xavier School (both in Weymouth, Ma). I also teach and direct at various theatres in the Boston area. I’ve always been interested in the environment and I think this program is an excellent way to learn more up-to-date information about the changes taking place around us. I sometimes use theatre as a way to teach both children and adults about these environmental changes and what we can do to make things better. I look forward to gathering new information about this topic and incorporating it into my curriculum throughout the year.

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Comment by Linda Hankey — September 28, 2009 @ 9:26 am

Hello Everyone,

I work at Montgomery College in the Psychology Department in Maryland.
This is my first conference and I am looking forward to this one and many more to come.
What a great topic for the times. I think we will gain some valuable knowledge from this conference.
Can’t wait to meet everyone.

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Comment by morris williams — September 28, 2009 @ 9:42 am

Hello. I am a high school history teacher at holly pond High School, in Alabama. I just wanted to see what was going and I am most especially interested in the political and economic consequences of the climate change scenarios .

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Comment by Adrienne Gayoso — September 28, 2009 @ 9:44 am

Hello. My name is Adrienne Gayoso and I am an educator at the Smithsonian Institution’s American Art Museum. I live and work in Washington, D.C. (U.S.A.). As a resident of a large city, I am interested in how urban dwellers negatively and positively impact climate change and how individuals can take steps to improve the environment.

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Comment by Jennifer Lapinel-Spincken — September 28, 2009 @ 9:54 am

Hello all,

I teach English and composition for various online universities. When I am not online, I reside in the Northeast.

I look forward to learning much in this conference.

Jennifer

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Comment by Lorraine Fussell — September 28, 2009 @ 9:58 am

I’m a high-school language arts teacher at Coffee High School in Douglas, GA (near the Okefenokee Swamp). I was privileged to take a part in the Lincoln conference and want to learn more about this topic that affects us all so tremendously. I also hope that I will be able to include some of my pre-AP Language students in a session or two (depends on the timing, obviously).

Thanks so much for this opportunity!

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Comment by Kathy — September 28, 2009 @ 10:03 am

Hi, my name is Kathy and I am a returning student to MC in Maryland. I’m interested in environmental ecology and look forward to learning more about climate change.

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Comment by Siobhan Starrs — September 28, 2009 @ 10:08 am

Hello fellow participants! I am a museum exhibit developer at the Natural History Museum. Several years ago, I had the amazing opportunity to work with scientists from the Museum, Universities, and other Government Agencies as part of an earth systems science project. As a non-scientist, what I learned about our planet and climate change amazed me. It was a life-changing project that has affected how I live and think every day. I am fascinated by all forms of life, the interactions between them, and how/where humans fit into and impact the global environment. Can’t wait to learn more on Thursday!

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Comment by Robert Malo — September 28, 2009 @ 10:10 am

Hi everyone,
My name is Robert, I happen to be a French Canadian guy living in Manitoba. I work as a Program Developer at the Manitoba Museum. I’ve been givin the task of “getting involved” with the whole climate change/sustainability subject to eventually develop programming that will insite the public and school children into looking at our world a different way. Climate change has been a personnal interest over the last couple years so I’m looking foward to many good discussions!

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Comment by Kit Keller — September 28, 2009 @ 10:30 am

Hello from Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m an online librarian and instructor, and have followed the issue of climate change for years. I’m looking forward to hearing from experts and learning substantive information on the topic.

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Comment by Bill Glasser — September 28, 2009 @ 10:44 am

Good Day All. Pleased to be a part of this Climate Change Community of Practice. I am an innovator with the US Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle Washington. As with most folks at EPA, I am actively looking for connect points with our tradtional mission work and climate change. I am particularly interested in learning about emerging technologies to help societies deal with the inevitable consequences of global warming that are already programmed into our planetary environment.

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Comment by Emily — September 28, 2009 @ 11:00 am

Hello, all. I am really looking forward to interacting with all of you at this exciting conference. I’m so pleased that the Smithsonian is offering this online! I am working with the Girl Scouts in southern Illinois as the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) program manager, which basically means I am constantly on the lookout for ways to encourage our girls to take active leadership roles in advocating for positive change in issues that concern them. Girls I work with are “into” robotics, forensics, astronomy, engineering and environmentalism.
Can’t wait!

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Comment by Alan Crook — September 28, 2009 @ 11:03 am

Hello from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. I work with the Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network (BEAN), and our interests in Global Warming have a biodiversity perspective, understanding that the two are inextricably linked. I’m eager for the Conference’s take on this perspective. BEAN resides at http://www.biodiversityeducation.ca.

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Comment by Justin Trezza — September 28, 2009 @ 11:16 am

Morning all from gorgeous Down East Maine. I am excited to be part of the conference both for personal and professional reasons.

Currently I work as the program director for a small Maine based non-profit, Sustainable Harvest International, which focuses on sustainable agriculture and deforestation in Central America. Previous to my work with Sustainable Harvest, I worked with Greenpeace’s Climate Change campaign, and therefore have been very active in outreach and education.

I look forward to hearing from conference speakers and participants, and more importantly the dialogue that results.

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Comment by Courtney Quinn — September 28, 2009 @ 11:20 am

Hello all. I am a PhD student in Leadership Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I currently teach an undergraduate course, Ethics in Agriculture and Natural Resources. I am curious how an online conference might fit with my pedagogy of team-based learning that focuses on critical thinking skill development.

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Comment by Fatema F — September 28, 2009 @ 11:53 am

Hello all,

I am a PhD student in Global Public Policy in Japan and I am about to begin an internship at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) – also in Japan. One of the things that I am interested in hearing about is transboundary air pollution and people’s thoughts on the matter. I look forward to the conference, the meetings, and the engaging discussions that I hope they will entail.

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Comment by Bruce Macke — September 28, 2009 @ 11:53 am

Hi, My Name is Bruce Macke and I teach 7-12 science in a small school district, Cove, in Northeast Oregon. I have been teaching about Climate Change since the late 80’s. I look forward to the conference and collaborating with others during the conference.

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Comment by Brendan Hall — September 28, 2009 @ 11:56 am

Hi all. I’m a PhD student at the University of Gloucestershire in the UK where i’m working on a thesis investigating teaching uncertainty, using climate cange as a case study. I’m looking forward to hearing about other research into teaching and climate change and am always interested to hear views on uncertainty in climate change and how it might present challenges in teaching contexts.

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Comment by Ann Wilson — September 28, 2009 @ 12:01 pm

Greetings from Louisiana! I am the Science Program Coordinator for the Louisiana Department of Education. It is part of my job to stay up-to-date on the latest science data and explanations so that I can share such information with teachers in my state.

We all find the topic of Climate Change to be fascinating, especially since there is so much misinformation circulating around in our general culture. I look forward to obtaining information on accuarte, actual data and on interesting ways to address this topic with K-12 students.

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Comment by Jill List — September 28, 2009 @ 12:03 pm

Greetings, I am Jill List and I teach statistics for Kaplan University. I agree with those of you who stated that we all need to be concerned with climate change. A few years ago, I listened to a very interesting report from an anthropological climatologist regarding global warming. It was his opinion from examination of the ice in the area of the north pole that global warming is a naturally occurring process over a very long span of climatic changes on earth. This may or may not be true. What we cannot ignore are the effect s that man and his manmade environment are having on climate. Human-induced climate change is real. While we cannot reverse the effects tomorrow, we need to learn what we can do to reduce the impact. I have students from all areas of the university. I hope to learn more about climage change so that my students and I can develop simple statistical models using samples.

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Comment by Lou Maenz — September 28, 2009 @ 12:09 pm

Hi,
This looks to be a most interesting conference.
I Live in the Eugene, Oregon area and teach English and Technical writing on line for Kaplan University. I have been involved in the environment, actively, for the past 15 years. Currently I also write for and edit the local Sierra Club Newspaper.

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Comment by Bill Okrepkie — September 28, 2009 @ 12:13 pm

Hello everyone. My name is Bill Okrepkie and hail from the great state of South Dakota where the leaves are changing and the temperatures are dropping (not like Phoenix at 110 for the football game yesterday). I teach environmental science, critical thinking, ethics, and graduate level Public Administration courses for several universities. I have encourage my environmental science students to attend this class but I hope to gain some additional information to share with my future students. I will be looking forward to working with all of you over the next few days.

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Comment by Celena Miller — September 28, 2009 @ 12:16 pm

Good Morning! I’m a Science Lab Instructor located at a local elementary school here in Pharr, Texas. I believe it vital to instill a sense of responsibility in our young students for stewardship of our environment as well as other areas. I look forward to learning and interacting with everyone.

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Comment by Johanna Thompson — September 28, 2009 @ 12:16 pm

Greetings from The Field Museum in Chicago! I work in the Education Department and teach alt fuels, energy, soils and other environmental ed plus our natural history subjects (like fossils, mummies, etc). At The Field Museum, we’re deeply invested in reversing the effects of climate change via the dynamic research of our scientists, our exciting public exhibitions (the Climate Change exhibition will be open in Summer 2010) and with our education programs that motivate and inspire Chicagoland and beyond. Looking forward to the conference! Cheers!

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Comment by Laurie Painter — September 28, 2009 @ 12:49 pm

Hi everyone, My name is Laruie Painter and I teach 6th grade science in Boonville, MO. We are a small district about halfway between kansas City and St. Louis, MO. I have been teaching about Climate change for the past 3 years but 2 years ago I was not allowed to teach it due to one parent complaining. I now have a new principal that is very supportive and wants me to teach all the facts. I am looking forward to learning and collaborating.

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Comment by MB Wall — September 28, 2009 @ 12:53 pm

Hi
I teach online classes, helping teachers to use the Web in their courses. I am interested in this conference so I can help others explore the technology. I live in Charlotte, NC.

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Comment by Umesh Parshotam — September 28, 2009 @ 1:09 pm

Hello

I am Umesh Parshotam from the University of Northern British Columbia in Canada. I am a lab instructor in chemistry. I am looking forward to the conference.

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Comment by Shamiela Mir — September 28, 2009 @ 1:20 pm

Hello!

Greetings from Washington DC! My name is Shamiela Mir and am a communications consultant at the World Bank. I am working among a team of communications professionals in ‘figuring out’ how to communicate Climate Change to different stakeholders with varied socio-political-economic backgrounds to engage people in the global discussion that would lead to some kind of a common goal. Looking forward to the conference and learning from the global leaders in this field!

Cheers!

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Comment by Samantha Bishop — September 28, 2009 @ 1:26 pm

Hello! My name is Samantha Bishop and I teacher Kindergarten at Cullowhee Valley School, in Cullowhee North Carolina. I am very excited about this conference and I look forward to receving lots of information that I can share with my colleagues as well as my students. They may be young but I believe it is never too soon to start teaching them about the environment and ways they can help conserve it and take care of it!

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Comment by Laurel Smalley — September 28, 2009 @ 1:43 pm

Hello. My name is Laurel Smalley and I teach high school science at Knappa High School. My Earth Science class, comprised of juniors and seniors, will be participating in the climate change seminar. We are interested in increasing our knowledge so that we may go out and educate others.

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Comment by Sheryl Carson — September 28, 2009 @ 1:54 pm

Hi: My name is Sheryl Carson. It is great to see the many people in places I’ver never been to! Some people might say I live in the boondocks – the middle of nowhere, but I am almost exactly in the middle of the United States (north-south-east & west) at WaKeeney, Kansas. I am the high school biology teacher and I thought this opportunity might have some resources that I can use to supplement my curriculum or just to help me become more aware of global issues.

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Comment by Susan G. Thompson — September 28, 2009 @ 2:08 pm

Hello to you all. I teach world history at Northern Virginia Community College and am a member of our college Green Committee. I hope to learn more about the historical evidence for climate change.

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Comment by Joseph H. McCulloch, Ph. D — September 28, 2009 @ 2:11 pm

Hello, my name is Joe McCulloch. I teach Environmental Biology, Botany, General Biology Cells to Organisms and General Biology Ecology and Evolution at Normandale Community College, Bloomington, MN. Climate Change has an indirect or direct effect on portions of all the classes that I teach. I am becoming more and more interested in soil and aquatic bacteria and fungi and their response to climate change; with which I have had little literature experience. I look forward to the Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College, Oct. 6-7 where Water Uncertain Resource will be the topic. I am anxious to see how these two conferences “fit” together.

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Comment by Herb Brunkhorst — September 28, 2009 @ 2:13 pm

Hello everyone, My name is Herb Brunkhorst and I am a Professor of Science Education and Biology and currently Chair the Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. My interest in participating is two-fold, both as a science teacher educator and as coordinator of our M.A. in Science and Environmental Education. I look forward to increasing my knowledge of climate change issues and sharing it with my students.

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Comment by Yasmin Bailey-Stewart — September 28, 2009 @ 2:23 pm

Hello everyone,

I’m Yasmin Bailey-Stewart and I teach in the NYC public school system in the inner city. It’s a challenge to have students appreciate the value of studying the environment for preservation and conservation purposes.
That’s why I’m so exicited about participating in this online conference. It will give me the opportunity to communicate with other educators with similar concerns about students and their relationship to the environment.
This is a great opportunity for teachers!

Yasmin.

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Comment by Jennifer Fowler — September 28, 2009 @ 2:27 pm

Hello from South Dakota! My Earth Science students and I are looking forward to an exciting and informative conference! Thank you for the opportunity as well as the excellent speakers for the week!

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Comment by Matt Huston — September 28, 2009 @ 2:48 pm

Hi, Matt Huston here from near Seattle, WA, USA — I get to work with teachers and other educators around the world on professional learning projects — most of them centering on using technology with students in 21st century ways, and lots of the learning taking place at a distance.

Climate change seems ripe for the kinds of international collaboration we all want to encourage, whether among students, teachers, or the general public. I’m excited to learn the latest climate change science, plus project opportunities for teachers and students related to climate change.

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Comment by Yvonne Lavin — September 28, 2009 @ 2:55 pm

I teach chemistry and am also the science club sponsor. Currently at our school we are planting trees, painting the roof white and looking into water conservation as well as sponsoring a school in Africa through H2O for Life. Our science club as also brought in a recycling program to the school. We are excited to bring this opportunity to our students.

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Comment by Steven H. Williams — September 28, 2009 @ 3:03 pm

Greetings to all! I am Steve Williams, Chief of Education Initiatives at the National Air and Space Museum. I’m looking forward to this conference; please check out the NASM section of the conference’s Virtual Exhibit Hall.

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Comment by Kurt Berndt — September 28, 2009 @ 3:10 pm

Hi everyone:

My name is Kurt Berndt and I am professor of molecular biophysics at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm Sweden. I will be participating in the conference with a group of visiting second year High School students at the Kunskapsskolan Natural Science Center in Saltsjöbaden where I serve as director. We are very much looking forward to an exciting three days. Thank you Smithsonian for putting this together!

Kurt

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Comment by Richard H. Broun — September 28, 2009 @ 3:17 pm

Greetings. My name is Richard Broun, and I have recently retired from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where I was Director of the Office of Environment and Energy. I continue to be interested in the relationship between urbanization and the environment, and look forward to this discussion.

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Comment by Carrie Heeter — September 28, 2009 @ 3:28 pm

Greetings. I’m a professor of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University where I teach serious game design. I am working on creating “deliberative games” as a means of exploring personal and societal values while learning about a complex issue such as climate change.

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Comment by Jean Anastasia — September 28, 2009 @ 3:38 pm

Hi everyone. My name is Jean Anastasia and I am an Associate Professor in the Biology Department of Suffolk County Community College on Long Island in New York. I received my Ph.D. from the Ecology and Evolution Dept at SUNY Stony Brook where I studied, among other things, the impact of UV on marine invertebrates. I have therefore always been interested in the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems. I currently teach General Biology and Oceanography and discuss climate change in both of these courses. I am also in the process of developing a professional development workshop to help high school teachers learn more about climate change and learn how to introduce the topic in their classrooms. I look forward to a great conference.

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Comment by Jane Olesen — September 28, 2009 @ 3:49 pm

Hello,

I work in the office of Instruction and Information at Essex Town School District in Essex Junction, VT. I “attended” the online conference on Lincoln this past spring and it was amazing – which I am sure this will be too!

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Comment by Satri Pencak — September 28, 2009 @ 4:01 pm

I am the Director of Exhibitions at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, in California. I am curating an exhibition called Catalyst: Art Responds to Climate Change, scheduled to open in September, 2010. My goal is to educate myself as much as possible on this issue and to connect with other artists and art professionals on this subject.

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Comment by Linda Scherf — September 28, 2009 @ 4:08 pm

Hello, my name is Linda Scherf and I teach Science at Berlin High School, Berlin , New Hampshire. We are located in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. This semester I’m teaching an Ecology Class and the students are looking at the relationship of human actions and the environment and climate warming. Also, we are considering the statement “Be Part of the Solution” throughout the course. I’ve always been involved in environmental issues both personally as well as an educator. My passion is water quality and especially wetlands. I’m looking forward to the conference with my students!

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Comment by Horacio Idarraga Gil — September 28, 2009 @ 4:19 pm

Hello friends. I am a male, Venezuelan retired teacher. I am very worried seeing how the catastrophes are ocurring all around the world. Ihn my living area has ocurred three earthquakes lately. From my point of view the most biggest problem is the overpopulation and seems that nothing is being made to dismiss it.
Warm hugs to all, Horacio.

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Comment by Sherry Taylor — September 28, 2009 @ 4:25 pm

Greetings from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I am part of a team that is developing curriculum and resources for the Kindergarten to Grade 6 science program for our province. We have a strong environmental component in our new program and emphasize student action even at an early age. Looking forward to expanding our horizons even further!

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Comment by Janice Fowler — September 28, 2009 @ 4:33 pm

Best of greetings from Dallas, Texas. I am currently pursuing my doctorate and also working as part of the ICAA visionary advisory board on active aging. Very passionate about the climate and changes. Looking forward to learning more and more.

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Comment by Nickey Farr — September 28, 2009 @ 4:45 pm

Hi everyone! I’m a meteorology student at Harold Washington College in Chicago, IL. One of the reasons I wanted to go into science, particularly weather studies, is the climate change that we can no longer ignore. I’m very passionate about making others aware of what is happening and having the scientific data to back me up. I’m very excited to be part of this conference and to gain as much knowledge as I possibly can.

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Jose Brenes Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Hi Nickey

Glad to read you are in the same line of though we are

Please take a stroll at http://www.webdelambiente.com specially clicking on Meteorologia (Upper right corner)
There you will find actual data (taken basically minute by minute) of 16 voluntary weather stations of a network I started to set up last November

If you need some data, or want to work with us just tell us. Data analysis is a welcome area to be covered

Bests

Jose
jbrenes54@gmail.com

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Comment by Béatrice Alves — September 28, 2009 @ 4:50 pm

Hello from Bahia, Brazil on a very hot spring day.
I was born in Europe, in a developed country, but now teach English and French in Brazil, a fast developing country. I often take the opportunity of these language classes to raise awareness about climate changes and environment protection among my students.
Even though floods, droughts, the Amazon rainforest and the sea level are frequent issues in the news, it’s not easy to change everyday behaviors. That’s why I’m looking forward to this event, to getting more water to my mill, to meeting people who also want to make a difference, help avoid new mistakes, and, like Matt, “to learn the latest climate change science, plus project opportunities for teachers and students related to climate change”

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Comment by Bonnie — September 28, 2009 @ 5:20 pm

Hi there. I am a Smithsonian volunteer in Washington D.C. I am most interested in what’s happening to our planet especially after seeing lakes disappear, bee population slip away, ice caps melt and seals and polar bears go homeless. I fear for our children and their children and so on. I am trying to do what I can as one small individual to correct our errors. I’m happy to be in like-minded company.

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Comment by Lee Lawton — September 28, 2009 @ 5:39 pm

Greetings! I live in Oregon, and work as a freelance indexer. I index books on many different subjects, but have a particular love of the natural sciences and the environment. I am also working toward my Climate Masters Certification.

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Comment by Chuck Hanke — September 28, 2009 @ 6:04 pm

Hi Y’all,
I am a Physics Specialist working at the University of Montevallo which is located at the geographical center of the State of Alabama. I work with Alabama Science in Motion which is a program which provides science labs and demonstrations to high schools in Alabama. Alabama just won a NASA grant to develop learning modules on earths climate for high school students. The program, Bringing Global Climate Change Education to Alabama Classrooms, will partner with the Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) program to train teachers and educate students in Grades 9-12 about the changing planet. As one of the specialists who will be involved with training teachers this coming year I want to learn more about climate change and the resources available to teachers to help them teach about climate change. I am also a lover of the outdoors and am interested personally in the condition and future of space ship earth.

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Comment by Crystal — September 28, 2009 @ 6:48 pm

Hi! I am a trilingual Chinese American student at Monta Vista High School and I intend on pursuing a major in the social sciences with a minor in the natural sciences or linguistics at a four-year college or university. I’m very fluent in social media, and I’m always looking for valuable internship and work experience.

In a nutshell, I am a: student leader, scholar, non-profit leader, social media strategist, graphic designer, photographer, traveler, and global citizen.

Learn more about me:
Visit my LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/crystaly
Take a look at my Twitter profile: http://twitter.com/crystalcy
View my online portfolio for graphic design and photography: http://crystaly.carbonmade.com/

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Comment by Douglas Worts — September 28, 2009 @ 7:54 pm

I see climate change as a cultural issue – that has implications for us as individuals and as collectives. To me, culture is a process of continuous adaptation to the changing world around us. In cultures that are resilient, humans develop patterns of behaviour, knowledge-building, myth-making, creative-response, and so on to acknowledge the changing world and to integrate both persistent and transforming values into worldviews. Climate change is a reality, yet for most people, the indicators of climate change are not readily experienced. It is only with rather intricate scientific data, and the close observation of changing weather that humans are aware that the climate is changing. As humans urbanize, pluralize and globalize, there need to be effective feedback loops to help engage people everywhere to the requirement to fundamental changes in values and lifestyles. I am a museologist, living in Toronto Canada who believes that museums could be a valuable part of local and global cultural transformation – yet there is scant evidence that our cultural organizations are tuned into this process, let alone primary catalysts for change. I’d love to learn about museums that are stepping up to the plate on this issue — and I applaud the Smithsonian for convening this global conversation.

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Comment by Keith Forbes — September 28, 2009 @ 8:16 pm

Hi. Keith here, I’m a climate change professional. Please see my LinkedIn site for more info.

I have also taught a course on climate change. The entire syllabus and most readings are available freely here.

http://cnx.org/content/m17219/latest/

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Comment by Christopher Sater — September 28, 2009 @ 8:59 pm

Hi there,

I’m a recent graduate from Stanford University, where I studied behavior, energy and climate change. I’m interested to see what Smithsonian has to say on the topic, and hope I will have valuable contributions to make, as well. Thank you for hosting!

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Comment by Virginia Evasco — September 28, 2009 @ 9:00 pm

Hi, I’m Virginia Evasco, a high school teacher at Central High School in Prince George’s County in Maryland , USA. Being a first-time participant in an online conference about climate change, I am very happy and eager to join specially knowing that I will learn so much from the conference . This conference is indeed very timely most specially that my native country, the Philippines has just suffered the fury of storm Ketsana. Many lives and millions of properties were lost as a result of the flash floods that happened. Whatever part of the world we are in, it is never late to act and do something to make this earth a more liveable planet to live in.

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Comment by L.Oyunjargal — September 28, 2009 @ 9:52 pm

Hi, I’m Oyunjargal, graduate student in University of Tsukuba, Japan. I am studying here ‘Climate change impact on pasture production’. I had problem with climate projection data. Anyway, I am very happy to join this conference and I am sure that I will learn more about Climate change and its impact.

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Comment by laura — September 28, 2009 @ 10:25 pm

hello, my name is laura from grand island ny near buffalo.I homeschool my three children and thought this would be a good educational experience

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Comment by Andre Bridgett — September 28, 2009 @ 10:25 pm

Greetings to all!

I’m Andre. I teach AP Biology at a Health Sciences High School that shares a unique partnership with a Hospital, Private Corporation and University in Central NJ (via Washington DC). Prior to stretching my tentacles into the high school arena I worked for a number of years as a consultant to the EPA. I am really excited about the ongoing dialogue on the topic of climate change and look forward to hearing the ideas and potential solutions that will alter the impact in the world in which we live.

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Comment by Richard Sterling — September 28, 2009 @ 11:35 pm

I am a member of the faculty at the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley. I enjoyed the Lincoln conference enormously, and I am looking forward to this focus on what is certainly the most serious issue facing our times.

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Comment by Felipe Larrondo — September 29, 2009 @ 12:09 am

Hi everyone: I am Felipe from Chile. I am just finishing my master thesis to get a title as a Master in Aquaculture. I`m really concerned about climate change because this topic is affecting to all of us. Nowadays aquaculture is rising strongly in the most of areas, but on the other hand, this activity must to improve a lot in the environmental issues. We have a huge work to do, and that`s why I`m so eager to learn more and more about a really passionate topic like the environmental one.
Thanks.

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Comment by Mac — September 29, 2009 @ 12:14 am

Hi, I’m a computer specialist for Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, in Hawaii where we operate a telescope. Energy issues are key to the problems of climate change and economic prosperity. I am a long time member of the American Solar Energy Society, and a renewable energy advocate, living with a grid-connected photo voltaic energy system that provides most of my energy needs. During the conference, I hope to contribute what I know about energy issues and broaden my horizons on the social aspects of climate change.

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Comment by Jennifer Thompson — September 29, 2009 @ 1:26 am

Hello – I’m looking forward to learning from this on line conference. I’m a teacher from Juneau, AK currently working as a Science Coach in the Elementary Schools. I had the opportunity to spend last year in the D.C. area and attended as many briefings, lectures and workshops as I could focused on Climate Change. Depending on the particular audience of people, I noticed there is still a lot of work to do to educate the general public as well as address specific needs of students in the public schools.

I’m very interested in presenting educational aspects of Climate Change topics for young people aimed at finding solutions as we problem solve the bigger global issues facing all of us today. I’m also very interested in how we will work with specific indigenous populations already in the midst of adaptation to environmental change. I’m eager for more information and look forward to having more resources, background knowledge and direction on this timely topic!

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Comment by Yudara — September 29, 2009 @ 1:49 am

Hi,
I am Yudara, the co-ordinator of the Srvodaya Institute of Higher Learning (SIHL), Sri Lanka
One of the cluster of the SIHL is Environment and we are doing much work relating to the environment in Sri Lanka.
I am really fascinate about climate change and I would like to share and learn from others.

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Comment by Susan Rhodes — September 29, 2009 @ 3:48 am

Hi,
I am Susan working at the International School of Uganda. I teach grade 11 and 12 environmental systems and societies following the IB syllabus.
I hope to gain some up-to-date information that I can use with my students and colleagues.
Great to see such a variety of participants.
Sue

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Comment by Linda Yarr — September 29, 2009 @ 3:49 am

Reading the comments of previous posters, I am struck by the diversity of places and occupations represented, as well as by the sincerity and willingness to learn and share of all who are taking part in this effort. My organization, Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia (PISA) has been working to develop leadership capacity among scientists and officials in some of the countries that will suffer the most from climate change despite their not having contributed to the problem in the first place. In Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh to name just a few, millions face growing insecurity of livelihood, dwelling, health, and food while here in the United States, politicians dither over policies to reduce green house gases and other contributors to global warming. We must step up our efforts on the dual fronts of mitigation and adaptation mechanisms.

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Comment by Demosthenis Chondrakis — September 29, 2009 @ 5:09 am

Hi there, I want to thank Smithsonian Education Online Conference for the invitation and all of you for participating. I have to learn a lot from you.I will not be able to participate in all sessions but I am going to catch you from the postings.
I am a musician dreamer and I live in Chios a Hellenic island in between the west and the east. http://www.lulu.com/demos

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Comment by huafeng — September 29, 2009 @ 5:26 am

hi，everyone，I’m a graduate student of geology,china . I’m really interesting in this topic,and glad to learn more from you.knowledge should be share.

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Comment by Kayla Stubbs — September 29, 2009 @ 7:15 am

Hi All! I’m Kayla, from Nassau, Bahamas. I’m an Assistant Professor at The College of The Bahamas, Life Sciences. As you would imagine, there are countless opportunities to discuss climate change in my classes. This is a topic, which every student in The Bahamas can relate to. In The Bahamas, the summers are getting hotter and the sea levels are rising.
This will be a great opportunity to learn more about climate change and share this knowledge with my students and colleagues in my department.

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Comment by Felita Humes — September 29, 2009 @ 7:58 am

Hello, my name is Felita Humes. I am a mathematics lecturer coordinator from Nassau, Bahamas. I am interested in the broader issues of climate change and the issues of methodology lying behind the climate models. Everyone should be concern about chimate change and how it affects our environment..

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Comment by Richard Van Nice — September 29, 2009 @ 8:07 am

Hello All. I am a disabled Viet Nam veteran with a small bookshop in Helena,
Montana, USA. In the shop there have been numerous discussions of the
world’s climate, with advocates and proponents for various approaches
vocally espousing a number of thoughts. I have some science background
and am a member of GSA ans AAAS. I really just want to acquire more
knowledge in the climate area. Thanks Smithsonian for this conference.

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Comment by Jess Kohout — September 29, 2009 @ 8:12 am

Hello! I’m Jess Kohout. I teach 7th & 8th grade Science in Schenectady, NY.

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Comment by Howard Kaplan — September 29, 2009 @ 8:48 am

I’m a writer and editor living in Washington DC, and working at the Smithsonian. I applaud SCEMS for taking on such a complex topic and look forward to learning more about climate change from the various speakers. In addition to learning more about the outside world, I’m hoping to see links between different units of the Smithsonian to see how green we currently are, and how green we can be!

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Comment by Celine Santiago Bass — September 29, 2009 @ 8:50 am

Hello everyone! My name is Celine Santiago Bass and I am the Science Department Chair in the School of General Education at Kaplan University. My background is in Environmental Science and Ecology (specifically wetland ecology). I’m very excited about the opportunity to participate in a forum such as this because Climate Change is such a critical topic.

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Comment by Kwame R. Finlayson — September 29, 2009 @ 8:56 am

Gooday Everyone! Hope your all doin well. My name is Kwame R. Finlayson i work for the Ministry of Environment and Environmental Health Services in a Dept called EMRAD(Environmental Monitoring & Risk Assesment Division) here in the Bahamas. Im also a student in a new program here at the College Of The Bahamas called SIS(Small Island Sustainability) the first of its kind in the world. So im very excited to learn and network with various environmental minded persons like myself.
So thankyou very much GodBless and All the Best!

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Comment by Susana Sulzberger — September 29, 2009 @ 8:57 am

Dear all, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is spring time here and the gardens are full of flowers. I work in Colegio de Todos los Santos, an IB School since 1991. I teach Biology and I am Head of the Science Department. I am responsible for all the activities that take place in the laboratories. I have been involved in different activities with the International Baccalaeureate such as mentoring online workshops, moderating internal assessment and marking exam papers. I have just joined this conference and I hope to be able to share it with my students. We have clear evidences of the climate changes in Argentina. I am looking forward to this conference hoping to learn a lot from experienced investigable and to share ideas with my colleagues. Cheers, Susana

[Reply]
Jose Brenes Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Susana

Si tienes interes en coorinar esfuerzos con Costa Rica, y algunos liceos, enviame un correo. Estudiamos trabajar con San Antonio de Areco

jbrenes54@gmail.com

[Reply]
Susana Sulzberger Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 8:03 am
Hola José:

¿Ustedes están en un colegio IB?

Cariños,

Susana

[Reply]
Jose Brenes Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Susana

Por favor enviame el correo electronico normal pero con la direccion electronica tuya, pues no aparece en el reply.

Nosotros estamos trabajando con un Colegio Ambientalista en Costa Rica. El San Antonio aparecio por un amigo, y cn gusto empezamos a trabajar juntos

No se que es un colegio IB. Si me explicas podria contestarte
Gracias

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Comment by Latice Fuentes — September 29, 2009 @ 8:59 am

Hello! I’m a doctoral research assistant in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA. My research involves a bald eagle biosentinel monitoring program and I also teach Forest Ecology. I am interested in how indicator species can be used to predict impacts of global climate.

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Comment by Stephanie Joynes — September 29, 2009 @ 9:02 am

Hi Everyone! My name is Stephanie Joynes and I am the Program Manager for Smithsonian Student Travel. We’ve received a lot of interest regarding this topic, particularly since we work with Middle School and High School students who will have to address these issues as the next generation to confront Climate Change.

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Comment by Lesley Richardson — September 29, 2009 @ 9:04 am

Hello. I am the Web and Media Librarian for LEARN NC, an outreach program of UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Education. LEARN NC provides lesson plans, professional development, and innovative web resources to support teachers, build community, and improve K-12 education in North Carolina. Thank you, Smithsonian, for hosting a conference on this important issue!

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Comment by Sue Fierston — September 29, 2009 @ 9:10 am

I am a teaching artist living about 20 miles outside Washington, D.C. I’m collaborating with three 5th grade teachers from a local public school to study phenology–the study of seasonal change. Each teacher has a specialty in the project: designing experiments, analyzing data, writing poetry….my contribution is nature journaling, teaching students to keep a visual record of what they see when they go outside.

I’m thrilled to see such a large group of participants–pleased to meet you all.

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Comment by Diana — September 29, 2009 @ 9:35 am

Hi

I am a science research teacher at a Long Island high school. I am here to learn more about climate change as it relates to my students and their development of independent research projects.

I am hoping some students will be able to access and use online data in order to complete research projects that involve real time data sets from scientists around the world. I am particularly interested in aerosols and their effects on climate change.

I also am hoping to discover ways to use GIS programs in order to analyze the climate data from places such as NOAA NASA, USGS, NCAR.

Looking forward to the discussions and speakers!

Diana

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Cynthia Marx Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
I lived on Long Island for 17 years. Which HS? Perhaps you’d like to talk with students who live in the arctic?

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Comment by Joe Sacco — September 29, 2009 @ 9:49 am

Greetings to all! I am one of your presentators this afternoon. I have a background as a science educator, public school administrator (secondary) and, recently, Associate Director of Education at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. My presentation (with Dr. Moore) is relatively short, especially considering the topic and your interests. However, I have a more comprehensive powerpoint and suggested weblinks that will be posted in the Virtual Exhibit Hall. I welcome your comments and hope to engage you enough to explore this topic further and take action. There is much to be done, but if enough of us do our part, it will make a difference! I have been encouraged by the many stories I have heard of individuals, schools, organizations and local communities that are addressing this issue. I am hopeful that you will have the opportunity to share your story through this conference as well. Great to meet all of you.

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Comment by Ulrike Lahaise — September 29, 2009 @ 10:00 am

Hi all, I’m teaching at Astronomy and Physics at Georgia Perimeter College, a two year unit of the University System of Georgia. We’ll be adding a new 2 credit hour class to our core curriculum about Science and Society. Global warming and climate change are highly important topics for this type of course. I am hoping to learn about the most recent scientific insights on these issues and find out about important learning resources.

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Comment by Bill Hodges — September 29, 2009 @ 10:03 am

Greetings! I live in Washington, DC and work as a communications consultant with the World Bank Group’s External Affairs division. Specifically, I am part of a team of individuals working to bridge the divide between communications and the media on the topic of global climate change. I look forward to hearing from the speakers and the numerous attendees of this conference.

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Comment by Nathan Taxel — September 29, 2009 @ 10:06 am

good morning. my name is Nathan Taxel. I am the Outdoor Education Coordinator and a Science Instructor for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. I am currently developing a distance learning program on climate change that we hope to offer to the public soon.

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Comment by Angela Foster — September 29, 2009 @ 10:10 am

Hi!

My name is Dr. Angela Foster. I’ve been teaching for twenty-one years now at the college level. I taught for 14 years with the NC Community College System and then, when I was married in 2002, I transferred to a four-year private college. I am extremely pleased to be joining Kaplan University in a full-time capacity as of October 2009. My educational background is as follows:

EdD – North Carolina State University – Adult and Community College Education
MS – East Carolina University – Biology
MSSL – East Carolina University – Speech Language and Auditory Pathology
BS – North Carolina State University – Speech Communication

I was also in the US Army Reserves, and served actively during Desert Storm in Kuwait. I started out as a photographer (many of my Desert Storm photos were published in magazines like Life) but cross-trained as a Forensic Anthropologist so I spent quite a bit of my time with a remains identification unit. Following 9-11, I joined a military/civilian team and worked Ground Zero with a remains identification unit from December 2001 until May 2002. I again worked with a remains identification unit following Hurricane Katrina with the Louisiana National Guard.

I have spend a significant amount of time living in Madagascar studying handedness in sifakas (lemurs) and in Costa Rica working with white-faced capuchins. Obviously, biological and forensic anthropology is my academic passions. My husband and I have also spent several summers in Ethiopia working with locals on water quality issues. Andrew is also trained as an environmental scientist. Right now, I am trying to finish up a three-year grant in Chile where I’ve been working with the locals on treatment and education about schistosomiasis – a parasite that is prevalent in the area and can attack the bladder and intestines (two different species). I just spent several weeks along the Chilean-Argentine border this summer trying to finish that project up. I work my photography into my work with both the primates and anthropological projects and frequently have photos in National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonian, and similar publications.

More importantly, I live on the beautiful Pamlico River in the historic town of Bath, NC with my husband, local author Andrew Foster, with our two wonderful dogs (Piper and Lucy), eight cats, three corn snakes, and a turkey named Aliena. We enjoy foreign travel, having visited twenty-six countries in the past three years. I do stain-glass restorations of historic windows in my spare time. I enjoy music and artwork of all types, but travel is my real passion. Ultimately though, it’s always nice to come home – we live in a tiny little town – the first incorporated town in NC with the oldest church and library in NC, and the original governor’s mansion. We are most famous for our association with Blackbeard, the pirate, who had a home here as well. We have to go about 20 miles to buy gas, groceries, or anything you might pick up from the drugstore. We have a single Italian pizza joint (excellent food!) because we have a huge marina but that’s it. No fastfood, no convenience mart, nothing! We a bank, a post office, and a liquor store. And each closes for two hours in the middle of the day – but not the same two hours – so from 11-3 you can’t go into Bath and stop by the post office, bank, and liquor store on one trip, and they all close at 4. This makes Mayberry look just shy of NYC. But we love it – we’re right on the river – total solitude. I enjoying sitting on my back porch, watching ducks and geese and a pair of bear cubs, while I teach my online classes. Now, you know why I stay. It’s a great place to raise the dogs and cats!

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Comment by Sue McDowell — September 29, 2009 @ 10:15 am

Hi all – I’m an IT Manager at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. We’ve been going green for awhile with out IT but, culturally, it still seems like an uphill battle. Having lived in two areas where development trumped sustainability, I”m personally passionate about this topc. I’m excited to hear from the presenters and co-participants. Education in this area, to as many as possible, is critical.

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Comment by Envirowords — September 29, 2009 @ 10:19 am

Envirowords writes and reports on environmental issues for a variety of entities – private companies, consumer websites and branching out to scientific web publishers. Right now I am working mostly on marine topics. Climate change is a hot topic; the weather, and intense weather events, is becoming a really cool way to connect people to climate change impacts and daily life. Weather is the “interactive” medium for climate change.

Looking forward to this program to learn more.

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Comment by Milton Deiró Neto — September 29, 2009 @ 10:23 am

Hello everyone!
I´m Milton, from Salvador, Brazil. I´m Bachelor in Law (Salvador University, Brazil) and Specialist in International Relations (Bahia´s Federal University, Brazil). I worked as lawyer in some environmental cases in Brazil and now I am getting prepared to join Brazil´s Diplomatic Corps, by doing the Diplomatic Carreer Admission Exams (March, 2010). As climate change is one of the hot topics on IR´s agenda, I got interested in taking part at this conference, to learn as much as I can and share ideas with people from all around the world.

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Comment by Amar Kshatriya — September 29, 2009 @ 10:37 am

Greetings friends ! I taught Physics at British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby ( Vancouver ) , BC Canada . I am now retired .

My current interest is to learn about indicators of Climate change / Global Change , the factors that sponsor climate change and the underlying physics and chemistry principles that will help quantify the magnitude of change.

I will like to ‘net work’ with groups that are seeking to enhance the awareness of the consequences of the changes at the secondary school level community and the decision facilitators at the political level.

[Reply]
Jose Brenes Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
HI Amar

We would like to explore such a possibility. Visit our website
http://www.webdelambiente.com

My personal mail

jbrenes54@gmail.com

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Comment by Dr Lynda Edwards — September 29, 2009 @ 10:39 am

Greetings from Washington! At the United State Department of Education, I serve as a liaison to a working group of Smithsonian experts and experts from various education groups from around the country.

One of our huge projects this year has to do with online learning and course material delivery to teachers and students at all levels. Today’s conference provides an example of how “fashion forward” these approaches are becoming.

I will be most interested in the content of today’s discussion as well as the manner in which information is delivered to world-wide participants.

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Comment by Jon Campbell-Copp — September 29, 2009 @ 10:43 am

We are the Bucknell Carbon Management Society at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. We are broadcasting all three days of the Conference here on campus and are excited to be able to participate. We hope to broaden the understanding of the campus community regarding climate change and carbon emissions. We hope that many students and faculty will take part and benefit from the weeks’ proceedings.

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Comment by VALSA BALAJI — September 29, 2009 @ 10:46 am

Greetings from Chennai, India .
I am Valsa Balaji, an English Faculty & member of the Senior Management Team of a leading institution for K-12 students in Chennai .As a member of the co curricular Dept. I am actively involved in triggering the thought process of young adults to be sensitive to our environment. As Kabir, the famous poet in an Indian regional language said–This Earth is bequeathed to us as a white linen and it is our duty to gift it to our children with all its purity .
We are working on environmental issues with our partner school in the United Kingdom for the Global School collaborative initiatives .Carbon Footprints , Go Green ,Producing Eco Friendly products are just a few to name .
Junior and Senior students of PSBB KKN school, held a rally on 9 September to create awareness on conserving power -the 9/9/2009 Mission where the neighbourhood watched the vigour of young learners for more than an hour in the morning .

My students from Advanced English Classes are eagerly looking forward to interacting with the delegates of the conference .Curiosity to know more and imbibe more from people of experience is what makes us a part of this on line conference

Warmly
valsa

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Comment by Pat — September 29, 2009 @ 10:50 am

Hello,

I discovered the Smithsonian Conference link and was excited to see that I could participate in this event. I am interested in the sciences and currently work part time for the Physics and Astronomy Dept. of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. We are attempting to expand our outreach programs to attract more students to the department and to interest them in science. We also have a lovely planetarium that we use for outreach and for public shows.

My interest in this conference is both personal and professional: I would like to learn more about climate change and the science behind this; also, I would like to walk away from the conference with new ideas and tools of how to improve our outreach activities. Science education is so important and it is not given the time needed in our schools.

Thank you!

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Comment by Veronica Toppin — September 29, 2009 @ 10:59 am

Greetings from The Beautiful Bahamas! I’m Veronica, and I’m a Life Science Professor at The College of The Bahamas. This conference is a timely one and I am looking forward to learning new thoughts and ideas about climate change.
I am sure that there are many new ideas and issues that I can discuss with my students in future classes.

[Reply]
Jacqueline Dorsey Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Hello Veronica,

As I explore weather with young children and share current events, the concept of climate as constant is changing. Children understand that the weather is ever changing as they see and experience it but climate msut be measured in larger blocks of time and study. Your students can bear witness to climate change and it would be great to exchange questions from the younger students to the older ones with regard to this subject.

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Comment by Jonnae Lewis — September 29, 2009 @ 11:36 am

Hello everyone my name is Jonnae Lewis from Nassua, Bahamas. Am currently studying biochemisty at The College of The Bahamas. I have realized that The Bahamas is getting hotter every year, and am so happy that i am getting a chance to be more eduacated about the cause.

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Comment by Kathy Murphy — September 29, 2009 @ 11:59 am

Greetings from Bennington, Vermont

I coordinate a hands-on-nature program in association with the Four Winds Nature Institiute for an elementary school. I am also a media specialist for that school. Beyond these roles my interests are as a concerned citizen with two boys who will be growing up in a future that we are creating.

I’d like to make a personal committment to change and learn how to share information to be a catalyst for change.

How exciting to be connected with people from all over the world and from such a variety of backgrounds!

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Comment by Nathan Hall — September 29, 2009 @ 12:01 pm

I work at the University of North Texas Libraries in Denton, Texas, United States. I coordinate a project to develop collections of digital content related to environmental science and policy.

Through this online conference I hope to discover educational materials, policy statements, and reports in areas that are unfamiliar to me.

In the near future, I hope to share free online resources dealing with climate change that will help students to learn, educators to teach, and citizens, consumers, and policy makers to make informed decisions.

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Comment by Helena DiBiasie — September 29, 2009 @ 12:07 pm

Hi, I am a middle-school math and science teacher in a small parochial school in Versailles, Kentucky. My students are currently working on projects on global warming/climate change. They are studying the topic to become more aware of the information, as well as to understand how important science is to their lives.

I am hoping to learn more about climate change that I can then share with my students. I am very interested in helping them understand how important the study of science is for them.

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Comment by Adele Schepige — September 29, 2009 @ 12:30 pm

Geetings from Oregon. I am a science education professor at Western Oregon University. I am part of a team that received a NASA Global Climate Change Education grant. We will be hosting a GCCE k-8 teachers insitute next summer. Our team is participating in many climate change learning opportunities in preparation for our institute. Looking forward to this conference.

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Comment by Antoinette Pinder — September 29, 2009 @ 12:34 pm

Greetings:

My name is Antoinette Pinder and I’m a librarian at the College of The Bahamas. My goal is to learn more about climate change and what I can do to make a difference in the environment. As a result of this online conference I’d like to share tips with my other colleagues about steps that they can take to stop or control global warming.

I am very interested in meeting you all and learning all that I can.

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Comment by Kim Walsh — September 29, 2009 @ 12:45 pm

I am teaching AP Environmental Science at a small school in Delaware. This sounded like a cool forum, so here I am!

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Comment by Kristen Bjork — September 29, 2009 @ 1:07 pm

Greetings all. My name is Kristen Bjork and I am a project director at a grant-funded, not-for-profit, educational R&D company called Education Development Center in Newton, MA, USA. I develop math and science curriculum materials, educational exhibit, and interactive materials. I look forward to an interesting conference.

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Comment by Diana Hinova — September 29, 2009 @ 1:37 pm

Hello all,
I am a graduate student at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute focusing on Environmental Policy.

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Comment by Mike Pouraryan — September 29, 2009 @ 1:38 pm

I am a Management Consultant, blogger & adjunct professor with a keen interest in the environment and have been peridocially writing about the ever changing planet of ours and sharing it with my students on both the challenges and the opportunities. It is ever more crucial that we become the foot soldiers in saving “spaceship earth”. There is no other choice.

I look forward to the proceedings over the ensuing days.

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Comment by Katrina — September 29, 2009 @ 1:39 pm

Hi Everyone! My name is Katrina and I work at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO. I am part of the education department so I want to learn all that I can so that I can make sure I’m giving out the correct information.

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Comment by Kellie Wright — September 29, 2009 @ 1:50 pm

Hi! My name is Kellie Wright from Norfolk, VA. I am a first year teacher of Earth Science. I love bringing real life situations into my classroom and love to get the students involved with projects. I am a firm believer of “hands-on, minds-on” and look forward to the conference!

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Comment by Stephanie Eskins Gleason — September 29, 2009 @ 1:51 pm

It is a pleasure to be part of this learning experience and exchange! I am from Northern Virginia, which is a delight because I can take advantage of the Smithsonian in person and (now) virtually. I have been an adult educator for nearly 20 years and have a passion for science and conservation. I have a consulting company that does a lot of eLearning and education outreach and I also teach communications for Strayer University Online. Finally, I teach an after school Science Explorers program for elementary age kids. I welcome the opportunity to learn along with so many of you from around the world on this topic!

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Comment by Melissa Moreano — September 29, 2009 @ 1:53 pm

Hi!! My name is Melissa. I studied Biology and was always interested in environmental education for social change. I work at the Museum of Water in Quito, Ecuador, an interactive museum about the importance of water for the life on earth, and also for the cultures all over the world. Now we have an exhibition about Glaciers and the effects of Climate Change. Here, our visitors always ask: what can I do? I hope I found the answers here.

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Comment by Heidi Nerud — September 29, 2009 @ 1:54 pm

Hi!

My name is Heidi Nerud. I currently teach Environmental Issues at the Minnesota School of Business/Globe University. My challenge is to bring the topic of environmental issues to life for students whose majors range from IT to Vet Tech to Business to Paralegal. I am looking forward to gaining some information and ideas from this conference. Many of my students are independent thinkers and would like to know the truth about the environment. Although it is never black-and-white, my goal is to provide them with some facts so that they can reach their own conclusions.

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Comment by Amanda Clapp — September 29, 2009 @ 2:11 pm

Greetings. I teach seventh and 8th grade science in a rural school in western North Carolina. I’ve been looking forward to this conference to deepen my understanding of climate change and to make connections for my students. Currently, some students are trying to conduct an energy audit of our school and it has been interesting to discover just how big our carbon footprint is!

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Comment by Vanessa Clarke — September 29, 2009 @ 2:19 pm

Howdy folks,

My name is Vanessa and I send greeting from the 700 islands of The Bahamas. I hope to learn alot and just absorb whatever’s thrown my way. Information is crucial today.

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Comment by Jacqueline Dorsey — September 29, 2009 @ 2:21 pm

Hello All,

I am delighted to join such a diverse group of people as we explore the effects of climate change. I am an Education Coordinator with a Head Start program in Baltimore, Maryland. I feel strongly about early education as key to ensuring the future quality of the earth for all living matter. This conference will serve as a springboard in introducing classroom sprinklings of climate changes as it compares to weather in a study. Thank for this opportunity to join you. My interest is peaked.

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Comment by Betsy Wilkening — September 29, 2009 @ 2:22 pm

I am Betsy Wilkening a 7th grade science teacher from Tucson, AZ. My students and I are studying climate change and I have used Smithsonian resources with caribou population modeling with them. I am a PolarTREC teacher that has done atmospheric research in Barrow, Alaska in Spring 2009.

[Reply]
Comment by Gary Randolph — September 29, 2009 @ 2:33 pm

Greetings from Boulder, Colorado, USA! My name is Gary Randolph and I am the Earth System Science Projects Team Lead and Educational Designer at the GLOBE Program. I look forward to a very enlightening virtual conference!

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Comment by brandon cook — September 29, 2009 @ 2:48 pm

i’m brandon cook. i am a math, science, and health educator in morenci, arizona. also, i run a non-profit organization called the expanding minds science club where i take teenage students on educational trips to florida and costa rica (hopefully to other locales in the future)to learn about these unique ecosystems and the problems facing them and our planet as a whole. i try my best to teach my students to be ecologically responsible. i wish to participate in this conferrence to further my knowledge and understanding of the dire situation in which we earth dwellers find ourselves. to destroy one’s own home/environment is to destroy one’s self and offspring. we must spread the truth and do our best to combat the degradation happening to the earth and strive to educate others to do the same. peace&blessings 1andall. -bcook

[Reply]
Jose Brenes Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Hi Brandon

It did not sape my attentio that you take your people down to my country
Would like to konw more about your efforts, to see if we could fit in

My private mail jbrenes54@gmail.com
Website http://www.webdelambiente.com

[Reply]
Comment by Anita A. Hacker — September 29, 2009 @ 2:57 pm

Hello from the United Kingdom!

I am a social studies teacher, world geography, for seventh grade U.S. military dependents. My students and I are very interested in learning more about climate change. Though we are unable to participate in real-time, we are looking forward to viewing the archived conference and discussing among ourselves the importance of the research and findings. This promises to be a great opportunity for all of us.

Anita A. Hacker
Lakenheath Middle School

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Comment by Jen Wendland — September 29, 2009 @ 3:08 pm

Hello! I am a recent college graduate working for AmeriCorps VISTA through Iowa Campus Compact. I primarily focus on environmental sustainability, working through education, collaboration, and direct action to try to reduce the environmental impact of Wartburg College and Waverly, Iowa.

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Comment by Marcie Mehta — September 29, 2009 @ 3:12 pm

Greetings from East Africa,
I live in Kampala, Uganda. Also known as the Pearl of Africa. I am a Middle School Science teacher and an IB coordinator for the Middle Years Program. I work for the International School of Uganda(ISU), based in Kampala. We have students from 65 nationalities and topics like climate change are an essential part of our curriculum as well the holistic learning that is encouraged at ISU. My Grade 8 class is currently working on a unit of study that covers, global warming, climate change, and related issues. Uganda is 7 hours ahead in time so our challenge is going to be trying to catch live discussions at 11pm at night. I have booked the computer lab for an hour for the next three days so my students can get some interesting insights into what the rest of the world is doing about climate change, thanks to your session archives. I am thankful to the Smithsonian conference organizers for making this virtual conference available to schools like ours who are half way around the world from you. By encouraging dialogue and an exchange of ideas among people from such diverse backgrounds, as the introduction from conference participants attests, you are doing a big favor to the educational world.
Marcie Mehta

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Comment by Caroline Cerveny, SSJ — September 29, 2009 @ 3:33 pm

Hi all, I am the founder of INTERACTIVE CONNECTIONS, a faith-based educational technology mnistry. I’m part of this group, filled with curiousity, to begin dreaming how an online experience like this can be integrated into the teaching of religion at the elementary and high school levels. Ecology is one area of our world that is exciting and fascinating!

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Comment by Sandra Phillip-Burrows — September 29, 2009 @ 3:41 pm

Hello everyone. Among the Geography courses that I teach at The College of The Bahamas, is Climatology. I am looking forward to sharing and learning about new research/developments in Global warming/Climate change, and particularly the vulnerability of small islands to the long-term effects.

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Comment by Alexandra Stubbings — September 29, 2009 @ 4:00 pm

Hello, I’m an organisation development consultant at Ashridge (business school and consultancy practice) in the UK, near London. I head up our Sustainability practice with a colleague and specialise in facilitating culture and org identity change in organisations using whole system and participative action inquiry methodologies. Very interested in social psychology / eco-psychological understandings of responses (or lack of) to climate change. Looking forward to joining this community over the next few days.

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Comment by Silvia Velazquez — September 29, 2009 @ 4:27 pm

Hello. My name is Silvia. I´m a science teacher in Spain. I´m looking forward to learning something new about climate change.

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Comment by Aqueelah — September 29, 2009 @ 4:39 pm

HI EVERYONE!!!
I’M AQUEELAH, A TOURISM MANAGEMENT STUDENT @ THE COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMAS!!!
I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS LEARNING EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY BEING FROM THE BAHAMAS WHERE WE ARE FACING CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES…
LOOKING FORWARD TO IT ALL!!!

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Comment by Darien Simon — September 29, 2009 @ 5:12 pm

I’m Darien, a “dangerously over-educated” avid explorer of knowledge, always looking for systems relationships and ways of making connections between data points, people, and projects. My official job title is “Community, Natural Resources, and Economic Development Educator”, but I prefer the less intimidating “CNRED” (pronounced conred). And as county-based faculty with the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, I’m a member of the Extension’s Sustainability Team and the National Network for Sustainable Living Education.

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Comment by Dr. Greg Coverdale — September 29, 2009 @ 5:22 pm

Hello – My name is Greg Coverdale and I am a science education specialist at Northern Michigan University in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a great college town right on the shores of Lake Superior. All of my students are prospective K-12 teachers. I am currently introducing a unit on Global Climate Change in my Physical Science for Teachers course. We hope to learn a lot about data collection and analysis as well as current trends on the thinking on this important issue. All 22 of my students in this class will be registered for this conference.

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Comment by Michelle — September 29, 2009 @ 5:43 pm

I am a college student and this is an activity that we are doing in one of my classes, I think its pretty cool, can’t wait to learn.

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Comment by Becca D. — September 29, 2009 @ 6:04 pm

Hi, I am a sophomore at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, MI. I am student in Dr. Coverdale’s class and will be participating with my class. I am going for a degree in Elementary/Special Education. I am very interested in learning about what this conference has to offer and excited about participating!

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Comment by Susan Hauenstein — September 29, 2009 @ 6:38 pm

Hi,
I’m Susan Hauenstein, and I teach Biology, Chemistry, Geology and Astronomy at Stanwood High School in Stanwood, WA. We are located about an hour north of Seattle on the Puget Sound between Port Susan and Skagit Bays. I am looking forward to discovering new ways to make climate change, and the work of scientists, exciting and real for my students.

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Comment by Linda Bradburn — September 29, 2009 @ 7:08 pm

Hello everyone and greeting from Melbourne Australia.
I am an Environmental Educator working for a local council. I work with schools and the community in Melton Shire (that is part of the Victorian Volcanic Plains grasslands). We have more than 15 community groups involved in revegetation projects and a new Melton Sustainable Living Group. I just had solar panels put on my home and it looks like I am generating more power than I am using (just!). Council has employed a Sustaiability Officer and we are part of the Western Greenhouse Alliance of councils in our area. Climate change seems like the most pressing issue of our time and I am looking forward to learning more about it.

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Comment by Thalia Micklewhite — September 29, 2009 @ 7:13 pm

Hello Everyone,

My name is Thalia Micklewhite and I am an associate professor in the area of science education at The College of The Bahamas. I’m excited about participating in this conference because climate change is a part of many of the courses I teach, and as a trainer of science teachers I wanted to explore more ideas and experience new ways of learning that I can hopefully pass onto my pre-service teachers.

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Comment by Paola Pozo, Ing. — September 29, 2009 @ 7:14 pm

Hello everyone,

I am from Ecuador, I have lived in the galapagos Island for nine years, always I have beenig working in conservation. I am very interesting to know about Climate Change, for to develop many proyects with the chanlenge to prepare to the people for more contribution to the enviroment and the effect cause by the Climate Change.

I have a special interesting for to do contacts with the expert in the topic for get assesory in the proyects. I think I dont have many for share, becaouse I am starting in this topic, in the followins days, I will be taking a Diplomte about Climate Change and kioto protocolo. I will tell you, the lession learned.

Nice to meet everyone, and I am sorry for my english, I hope you can understand me.

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Comment by Dr. Sophia Rolle — September 29, 2009 @ 7:19 pm

Hi,another professor from The College of The Bahamas in sunny Nassau, The Bahamas. I am thrilled to myself have this opportunity to learn a few things from fellow colleagues around the world. I am especially happy however, to direct two different groups of students to this conference site. One group of all Bahamian students, and another group of majority Caribbean students (Barbados, Jamaica, Trinadad and Tabago, ect.). I am looking forward to the discussion that will follow from these diverse groups at the end of this conference. I am sure these proceedings will help to advance the knowledge of all who have registered.

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Comment by Blayne — September 29, 2009 @ 7:19 pm

Hi everyone, greetings from Down Under!

My name is Blayne Petrowicz, I am a Senior Envrionment Officer at a local Council in Sydney Australia. I work in the Natural Environment Unit on all sorts of topics including climate change and its effects on coastal processes and biodiversity.

This is a fabulous initative! Well done to the organizers!

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Comment by Samantha Bricker — September 29, 2009 @ 7:32 pm

Hey everybody My name is Sam and I am one of Dr. Coverdale’s students at Northern in Marquette, Michigan. I am studying to become an elementary teacher and am passionate about teaching students about the environment. Someday I hope to have my own classroom where I can implement ideas about global climate change and can help show my students how to care for our mother Earth.

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Comment by Lauren Fusilier — September 29, 2009 @ 7:35 pm

Hello all! I am Lauren Fusilier – one of Dr. Coverdale’s 22 students who will be participating in this conference. I am excited to participate in this conference and become more educated on the issue of Global Warming. I am working toward becoming a special education teacher someday, and I am sure my students will be learning and dealing with these issues in their science classes regularly.

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Comment by Cheri M. — September 29, 2009 @ 8:32 pm

Hello my name is Cheri. I am currently attending NMU and I’m majoring in teaching special education. I am very excited to be involved in this activity, and I hope it will further my knowledge. I am in Dr. Coverdale’s class and this should be a great opportunity for our class!

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Comment by Cynthia Marx — September 29, 2009 @ 8:47 pm

Greetings from Gambell, AK, 35 miles from Russian Siberia on the NW tip of St. Lawrence Island. This is my third year of teaching writing in this native village. My students are all Siberian Yupik. They, and their ancestors are traditional whale hunters. They also hunt walrus and seal, many types of birds, and reindeer. They have personally experienced the effects of climate change. These include: thinning ice making it more difficult to hunt, and more difficult for seals and walrus to come onto the ice; a reduction in migratory birds; fewer bowhead whales; fewer polar bears; shorter winters; melting permafrost. I have heard from one of the elders in the village, however, that there were about 60 polar bears summering on St. Lawrence Island this year. I have no way of confirming this data. My students are concerned about the effects of pollution and the consequent effects on climate change, but also the effects of pollution on their own health. The effects of airborne pollutants on fish further down the food chain are becoming evident in the sea mammals, and in the human population, too (more cancer). My students are also concerned about increasing marine traffic in the area because of open arctic waters. Increased traffic means even more water pollution, and disruption of animal habitat. Because of the 4 hour time change between EST and Gambell, (we are just on this side of the dateline), we will probably only be able to watch taped programs. But please think of us out here in the arctic wilderness. These kids are on the front line of this issue and are quite concerned.

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Comment by Lauren V. — September 29, 2009 @ 9:05 pm

Hello Everyone, my name is Lauren. I’m another one of Dr. Coverdale’s students from Northern Michigan University. I’m an elementary education major with math and science minors. I’m looking forward to learning more about global climate change and exciting ways to teach my future students about this important subject!

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Comment by April Mellgren — September 29, 2009 @ 9:07 pm

Hello, my name is April and I am currently a student at Northern Michigan University. I am majoring in elementary education with a minor in language arts. I think that this conference will help with the science aspect of my future career and will also be a great tool to prepare me for the future of teaching.

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Comment by Benjamen Filipowicz — September 29, 2009 @ 10:10 pm

Hello,

My name is Ben Filipowicz, I am an Elementary Education major with a focus in Language Arts and a senior at Northern Michigan University. I am another one of Dr. Coverdale’s Physical Science for Teachers students. (mentioned in his comment above). I am very excited about being a part of this conference, I look forward to learning about a topic that I really do not spend much time delving into. This should be a lot of fun!

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Comment by Rachel Davis — September 29, 2009 @ 10:39 pm

Hi Everyone!

I am one of Dr. Coverdale’s students at Northern Michigan University. I’m an Elementary Education major with a focus in English and Math. I look forward to being a part of this conference and I’m excited to learn more about global climate change. Since science is not part of my focus, I am always looking for fun ways to build my knowledge of the subject.

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Comment by Barrister Rizwana Yusuf — September 29, 2009 @ 11:28 pm

The Institute is a nonprofit research Think Tank and a member of the World Bank civil society organization. We have been working on different contemporary issues i.e. environment, climate change, sustainable development and Green Revolution. Being a developing country we do not have the adequate facilities to resolve our existing problems related with climate change and environmental issues. This conference is a good opportunity to exchange our knowledge and experiences with other participants.

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Comment by Joan Horn — September 29, 2009 @ 11:30 pm

My teaching schedule this semester at Suffolk Community College, Selden (Long Island), New York, includes Environmental Geology and Historical Geology. Paleoclimates and the current climate change are topics we will cover.
I hope to find good resources and up-to-date data to demonstrate the causes and results of climate change.
I cannot attend live due to scheduling; so I will try to keep up with the archived meetings. I hope to share some of this experience with the Environmental class.

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Comment by Terrence Wilcox — September 30, 2009 @ 12:08 am

Hello Everyone,

My name is Terrence Wilcox, I’m a Biology Facutly at Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Winona, MN. My Environmental Science students and I are looking forward to an educational conference. Thank you for the opportunity.

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Comment by Valerie S Jakar — September 30, 2009 @ 4:06 am

Hi there
I am Valerie Jakar and I reside and work in Jerusalem, Israel. I lead a program in English language enrichment for adolescents in the Jerusalem region and I figured that I would find useful material about THE Global Issue for our students to learn about and discuss. Thanks, Smithsonian for providing us with this privilege.

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Comment by Siameh Theophilus — September 30, 2009 @ 4:57 am

I’m a SIAMEH THEOPHILUS from GHANA and I just completed University Of Ghana with a BSc. Computer Science And Mathematics.Even thought my field of study is different from the topic on board, am the type who likes to read about every field of study which will consequently broaden my knowledge. Am looking forward to get more opportunities from this conference.

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Comment by Roberta Zucker Hanfling — September 30, 2009 @ 5:32 am

Hello Everyone,

My name is Roberta Zucker Hanfling and I am the Marine Sciences Librarian at the Ruppin Academic Center in Israel. I’m looking forward to learning more about climate change. Thank you for this opportunity.

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Comment by Arif Goheer — September 30, 2009 @ 6:52 am

Hi, Every one

I am Arif Goheer. Basically i am an Agronomist/Agroclimatologist. I work for Global Change Impact Studies Centre (a dedicated research centre for climate change studies in Pakistan), Islamabad, Pakistan as a Senior Scientific Officer. Conference will provide me an opportunity to exchange our knowledge, share and learn from our experiences.

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Comment by James Salvadon — September 30, 2009 @ 9:34 am

Hi every one, my name is James Salvadon, Math instructor from Rockland C. college. I hold undergraduate & graduate degree in Pure and Applied mathematics. I am here to be part of this dialogue and learn more in this area from you guys.

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Comment by Jana Moncur — September 30, 2009 @ 10:03 am

Hi Everyone,

My name is Jana and I’m a student at the College of the Bahamas. I’m currently doing a course SIS110( small island sustainability- history and philosophy of sustainable living) and so i’m really looking forward all that I learn about climate change and all the different views that so many of you share. Its really exciting for me because my country being so small and so dependant on tourism any changes in climate affect us drastically whether it be economically or environmentally. Just recently our government and environmentalist gave estimate of the coral reef deterioration if the climate continues the way it is (predicting that by 2030 or so more than 80% of our coral reefs will be gone) and so I’m just amped up on learning of the small changes we can make that will help to suffice as well as the data analysis on our climate globally. I feel as though there should be something special that we can leave behind for the next generations to marvel in and not just the waste that was created by there ancestors. Looking forward to the next discussion.

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Stacey Syne Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Hi Jana – nice to see someone else from the Caribbean

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Comment by Sandra Corella — September 30, 2009 @ 10:19 am

Hello! I worked for 20 years like a professor in the Basic Education Department, National University of Costa Rica. In this moment I’m living in Florida.

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Comment by Carla Bitter — September 30, 2009 @ 10:49 am

Good Morning!
My name is Carla Bitter and I am the new Chief of Outreach at Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMMH). This is an incredibly exciting time to be a part of the technological transformation of our culture in terms of how people gather, share and experience science information. It is a great honor to be at the forefront of these strategic changes for our museum, for science, and for our understanding of the world around us. Most importantly, I am so pleased to be able to share the vision of NMNH regarding climate change as a driver in our scientific understanding of human evolution, of biodiversity, of geology and even for cultural and societal change. Ideally conferences like this will lead to better decision making for all of us through enhanced access to current scientific research and perspectives. Glad to join the conversation!

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Comment by Maria Ivanova — September 30, 2009 @ 11:01 am

Greetings! My name is Maria Ivanova and I am an assistant professor of government and environmental policy at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, USA. I am also the Director of the Global Environmental Governance Project (www.environmentalgovernance.org). And finally, during this year, I am based in Washington, DC as a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

I work primarily on international institutional arrangements for global environmental problems – analyzing their history and performance and thinking through possible models for the future.

I look forward to engaging with colleagues from around the world!
Maria

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Comment by Wendi J. W. Williams, Ph.D. — September 30, 2009 @ 11:51 am

Good day to all! My name is Wendi J. W. Williams. Although my doctorate focused upon geoscience (and Quaternary volcanism), I am more of a educator and science generalist of late. I am currently a professor teaching geosciences in hybrid courses (content online but labs meet face 2 face) for NorthWest Arkansas Community College (e-mail: wwilliams@nwacc.edu ; Bentonville, AR, U.S.) and online formats for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (e-mail: wjwilliams@ualr.edu). I telecommute from roughly 36 deg 06 min 16.9 sec North latitude and 94 deg 00 min 26.8 sec West longitude at about 1300 feet above sea level (rural, quiet, green Goshen, Arkansas)…give or take from which floor in my house I am working . In this mode, I work with about 300 undergraduate students in introductory core courses (the majority of which are non majors / many of which are K-12 teacher candidates). In the summers, I facilitate integrated science / science research opportunities for students in the Upward Bound or Gifted and Talented Pre-College programs through the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, roughly 15 miles commute. I am a member of the Geological Society of American, active on the Geology and Public Policy Committee. Our society is at the advanced stage of revising a Position Statement concerning climate change; position statements can be found at: http://www.geosociety.org/positions/ . I am grateful that the Smithsonian is making these educational resources and specialists’ work available through a tele-conference, as I plan to use what I learn for the sessions I can attend (and from those I can’t …but later using the archive) to broaden/update my curriculum for teaching climate-related topics. Best regards! Dr. W^3

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Comment by Wendi J. W. Williams, Ph.D. — September 30, 2009 @ 12:31 pm

Good day to everyone! My name is Wendi J. W. Williams. I have a Ph.D. in geosciences, where I specialized in Quaternary volcanism research in several fields in the southwest U.S. and Baja California Norte in Mexico. Since then, I have applied my skills more as a geosciences generalist to help educate others about the integrated-nature of this science. I presently teach core introductory courses in geology as online hybrid sections (labs meet face2face) for NorthWest Arkansas Community College (Bentonville, AR, U.S.A.; e-mail: wwilliams@nwacc.edu) and online sections for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (e-mail: wjwilliams@ualr.edu), generally as I telecommute from approximately 36 deg 06 min 16.9 sec North latitude and 94 deg 00 min 26.8 sec West longitude at roughly 450 meters above sea level (depending upon where in the house or outside I am “teaching” LOL). I work with around 300 undergraduates annually, where most are non science majors and many are K-12 teacher candidates. In the summers, I facilitate integrated science / science research for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville through their Upward Bound and/or Gifted and Talented tracks of their Pre-College programs (working with ~12 – 18 year old middle/junior/high school students). I am presently a member of both the Education and the Geology and Public Policy standing committees of the Geological Society of America. We have Position Statements that may be of interest, to include a Climate Change Statement that is presently under advanced revision (to be released soon). Visit http://www.geosociety.org/positions/ to see these items that can also be used as real examples of science and policy for your students. I plan to use aspects of what I learn through this teleconference and the related archive to update my curriculum for all the populations I work with…so I am very grateful to the Smithsonian for making these resources available. Thank you! Dr. W^3

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Stacey Syne Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
hi wendi – i remembered ur name and comments during the seminars. really good points you made!

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Wendi Williams Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Hi, Stacey. Thanks for the feedback – I try to contribute. I am looking forward to Wednesday’s sessions…see you online! W.

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Comment by Stacey Syne — September 30, 2009 @ 12:46 pm

Hi everyone,
I’m from the University of the West Indies. I’ve just seen one of the seminars on Biodiversity and Climate Change which was excellent.
Definitely looking forward to watching all other session recordings. The information is very valuable, especially for SIDS.
Many thanks to Smithsonian Education.

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Comment by Jason Wolfe — September 30, 2009 @ 8:37 pm

Hello

Jason Wolfe here…I am a Canadian living in Tokyo, Japan currently teaching English and Science at a governmental international school. I am currently doing a Master’s in environmental education and communication and hoping to gain some insights into more details about everyone’s favorite topic: Climate change.

My thesis will most likely deal with children and nature, more specifically children in Tokyo where a culture of modification and human use of nature is ancient and nature in cities is few and far between.

Looking forward to the conference.

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Comment by Bernique — September 30, 2009 @ 9:46 pm

Hello !
My name is Bernique Mcphee and I’m a Tourism Management major at The College of the Bahamas. During this conference I’m particularly interested in learning more about climate change and its causes because we are now plagued with the epidemic.

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Comment by Shambula — September 30, 2009 @ 10:24 pm

Hello, everyone
My name is Shambula Hutcheson, a student from The College of The Bahamas and I am pursing a degree in Tourism Management. I am really excited and interested about the seminar this week.

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Comment by Brian Plankis — September 30, 2009 @ 11:29 pm

Hello all,

My name is Brian Plankis and I’m President of the non-profit organization the Reef Stewardship Foundation. One of our program areas involves education and outreach efforts in order to build a stewardship community for coral reefs. I am attending this conference to increase my understanding of the science of climate change and am looking for conversations around increasing student and general public understanding of the destructive impact of climate change on coral reefs and researching how to get people engaged in this remote (to most) ecosystem.

Brian

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Comment by Glenn Friesen — October 1, 2009 @ 12:29 am

Warm Greetings!

My name is Glenn Friesen and I am a professor at the Santa Barbara Business College in Santa Maria, CA. I am an active proponent and student of networked technology, environmentalism, and international business. Basically, I like complex things.

I am sincerely looking forward to this week’s seminar! Feel free to contact me at any time at http://glennfriesen.com . Thanks again Smithsonian for putting this on!

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Comment by Dick Holland — October 1, 2009 @ 1:59 pm

Hi,

I am joining from the University of Toronto where I teach methods courses at OISE (our teacher’s college). I also work freelance with GreenLearning Canada which has online projects dealing with energy resources and climate change.

All the best for the rest of the Conference

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Comment by Corazon Z. del Mundo — October 2, 2009 @ 6:20 am

Hello! I am Corazon from the Philippines. My country was hit by a typhoon last sept 26 which brought rainfall that left 27 out of the 81 provinces in a state of calamity. In Jared Diamond’s book “Collapse”, he printed a world map that showed the environmental hot spots of the world and the Philippines is right in the middle of that map. We need to know more about climate change; the adaptation and mitigation measures that will be needed.

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Comment by Corazon Z. del Mundo — October 2, 2009 @ 6:39 am

Hello again! Corazon from the Philippines here. I am also very interested in viewing climate change with a gender perspective. In times of disasters and tragedies, the women, the elderly, the handicapped and the children are more vulnerable.

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Comment by Abdeltif El Ouahrani — October 6, 2009 @ 9:24 am

A PhD student from Morocco, interested in Mediterranean region and Climate Change with great focus on Mediterranean Forests and Forestry….

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Comment by suresh jain — December 11, 2009 @ 6:13 pm

I with a background of biological sciences and former Professor and Dean in a national institute have read the news about the Copenhagan conference.I with an experience of more than four decades am fully convinced that there is an urgent need to mix/amalgate the ancient wisdom with modern scientific achievemens to overcome the ever increasing environmental problems.Ancient wisdom has to be respected,need not be discarded in the name of developments.Respect/regards and even worship of nature and natural components need to be strengthened in our education specially school education.

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