Teachers Put Energy into Alternative Summer Break

19 teachers gather at ESF to learn about bringing renewable energy into classroom
7/28/2011

What is more important than a teacher's summer vacation? Ask this group and they'll tell you its renewable energy.

Nineteen educators from across New York state are converging on the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) campus Aug. 1 to 4 to learn about renewable energy and exciting ways to bring it into the classroom.

As part of a credit-bearing summer course, the intense four-day program consists of hands-on laboratory experiments, lectures from renewable energy experts, lesson plan development and a field trip to ESF's wind turbine in Tully, N.Y.

Participants will construct renewable energy devices and evaluate their performance using modern digital instrumentation. They will build their own wind turbines, construct solar cells using blackberry juice, and interface renewable energy concepts with GPS and web-based technologies.

Workshop participants will take home a kit of materials for use in their own classrooms. The materials are used to help teach energy concepts and aid in student-designed science projects. They also receive hands-on assistance from ESF faculty during the upcoming school year.

The project is largely funded by a three-year grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) as part of the School Power…Naturally program. Additional funding comes from ESF and participating schools. Participants include an elite group of New York State teachers and museum educators from Syracuse and beyond.