Sarah Fortner - Assistant Professor at Wittenberg University and Byrd Center Alumna
The American Geosciences Institute defines nine earth policy priorities:
- ensuring sufficient supplies of clean water,
- developing energy to power the nation,
- building resiliency to natural hazards,
- managing health soils,
- providing raw materials for society,
- expanding coastal economic opportunities and mitigating threats,
- confronting climate change,
- managing waste disposal, and
- meeting the demand for future earth scientists.
How do we help build political capacity to address these challenges? What strategies are associated with expanding community engagement and the change agency of our students? This talk will overview evidence-based strategies to engage students with societally-relevant topics. It will include lessons learned from the Wittenberg Sustainability Implementation Program funded by the NSF InTeGrate Project. This effort resulted in national recognition for program-level civic engagement. A short workshop will provide time for you to identify opportunities within your own research, teaching, and outreach to address critical earth issues.