Environmental Science to Promote Sustainable Urban, Rural and Indigenous Communities

Suny College Of Environmental Science And Forestry, Syracuse NY

Investigators

Abstract

PROPOSAL #: 0638686 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Donald Leopold INSTITUTION: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry TITLE: Environmental Science to Promote Sustainable Urban, Rural and Indigenous Communities This project builds upon two well-established college/school partnerships (ESF in the High School dual enrollment program and the ESF Science Corps). Project goals of enriching student science learning and engagement, and enhancing teacher and graduate student professional development emanate from this foundation and the proposed project theme of Sustainable Communities: experiential and inquiry-based classroom and field-based activities; Fellow facilitated student research projects and student science research symposia that compare environmental findings of urban, rural and indigenous communities. This project focuses on inquiry as the common basis for partnerships. Teacher and Fellow professional development reflects a professional/scholarly paradigm that underpins student activities. These unique project aspects have the potential to become a model for partnerships between public and private colleges and school throughout the U.S. Both the project end goals and project theme, Sustainable Communities, seek to produce environmental science leaders who are able to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century through SUNY's graduate education program. This project will entail transformational opportunities for graduate students to become environmental scientists who possess the skills required to meet society's immediate and future challenges. This project will enhance their abilities as environmental science communicators and as research scientists who can actively engage and make a positive difference in their own communities through Service-Research a variant of the Service-Learning concept.