Birch Aquarium at Scripps and Sally Ride Science Present Climate Change Institute for Educators

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Sally Ride Science have joined forces to offer a new Educator Institute that will equip elementary and middle school educators with the information they need to teach the next generation about climate change.

"Connecting with Climate Change: The CO2 Story" is a one-day professional development workshop for teachers that explores the latest findings on climate change and shares tips and strategies for incorporating the science of Earth's changing climate into classroom curriculum. Designed for fifth through eighth grade teachers, the Educator Institute includes hands-on activities followed by time for teachers to customize lessons for their classrooms.

The first Educator Institute will be held March 1 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla, Calif. The $30 fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch and materials. Educator Institutes with additional climate themes will be scheduled later this year.

The program will be taught by Debbie Zmarzly, Birch Aquarium program scientist and curator of the aquarium's award-winning climate change exhibit, Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge; Karen Flammer, space physicist at UC San Diego and co-founder and senior vice-president at Sally Ride Science; Judith Coats, Birch Aquarium school programs coordinator; and Season Mussey, science teacher at The Preuss School UCSD.

The institute also features a presentation by Richard Somerville, a distinguished professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Somerville is a world-renowned climatologist and served as a lead author for the landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report released in February. Last fall, the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with former Vice President Al Gore, for its efforts to educate society about man-made climate change.

The program joins two organizations that are uniquely positioned to help teachers share the planet's hottest topic with their students. A half-century ago, Scripps Institution of Oceanography sounded the first alarm that humans were warming the earth - a groundbreaking declaration that launched the modern era of climate change research and has changed the way society thinks about its impact on the environment. Today, Scripps scientists continue to make pioneering discoveries in climate research.

Sally Ride Science is an innovative science content company dedicated to fueling girls' and boys' interests in science, math and technology. Sally Ride, best known as America's first woman in space, founded the company in 2001 to create quality programs and products that educate, entertain, engage and inspire.

For more information or to sign up for the Educator Institute, visit www.sallyridescience.com or call 1-800-561-5161.