August 24, 2009

Purdue conference to focus on teaching energy issues in Indiana schools

The Purdue Conference on Indiana P-12 Energy Education, Raising the Energy Level: Beyond Reduce, Reuse and Recycle will give participants a problem-based platform for teaching math, science, economics, citizenship and critical thinking. The conference is geared for those involved in preschool through 12th-grade education.

"Our goal is to prepare students to think about energy in a broader sense," said Phillip VanFossen, the James F. Ackerman Professor of Social Studies in the College of Education. "Energy education can motivate students to study science, math and technology with an eye toward careers in the energy industry. And understanding energy policy is a relevant topic for all citizens."

Wally Tyner, a professor of agricultural economics and co-director of the Purdue Center for Energy Systems and Policy, will be the conference keynote speaker. Breakout sessions - including ones on Energy and Climate; Energy Enigma; Introduction to Solar Energy in the K-5 Classroom; and Energy, Economics and the Environment - will be conducted by the Indiana Council on Economic Education, the National Energy Education Development Project, the Purdue Standards-Based Integration Project, Purdue's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the National Science Foundation Climate Change Project.

A panel including a Purdue professor, energy providers, a state policy official and a classroom teacher will discuss why energy education is important to Indiana.

The conference will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Stewart Center. Cost is $25. Attendees will receive sub pay as needed, lunch, a conference bag and curriculum materials. Online registration is available at https://www.conf.purdue.edu/energy

The conference is presented by Purdue College of Education, Purdue Global Sustainable Future Initiative, the Indiana Council for Economic Education, the James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, I-STEM Resource Network, and the Center for Research and Engagement in Science and Mathematics Education (CRESME). It is sponsored by Shell.

For registration questions, contact John Wellman, Conference Division, jmwellman@purdue.edu, 765-494-0243 or 800-359-2968. For content questions, contact CRESME at 765-494-2781.

Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu

Source: Phillip VanFossen, 765-494-2367, vanfoss@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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