IDP recently hosted three major educational events: two regional conferences in DuPage County, IL, and a national winter webinar.
Project 2100 Immersive Student Conference (February 26)
- Location: Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL
- Impact: Approximately 100 Advanced Placement (AP) high school students and teachers engaged directly with IDP-affiliated scientists and engineers.
- Goal: To inspire and equip high school students to become the leaders who will shape the world and environment they inherit in the year 2100.
Educators’ Professional Development Science Conference (February 27)
- Location: Downers Grove North High School
- Impact: 400 middle and high school educators from 20+ school districts collaborated with over 20 IDP-affiliated scientists and engineers
- Highlights: Keynotes by Dr. Erich Osterberg and Drs. Richard and Karen Alley were followed by 75+ breakout sessions focusing on ice core research and classroom-ready inquiry resources.
2nd Annual Winter Webinar (March 11)
- Feature: Dr. Becky Alexander presented “Searching for Hope on a Warming Planet”, IDP’s latest Virtual Field Lab (VFL). The Virtual Field Labs are unique interactive education and outreach products designed for students from late middle school to college. The labs are designed for students to watch with a teacher present (virtually or in-person) or independently on their computers. Each Virtual Field Lab features a climate scientist and engages students in collecting and analyzing data to answer different investigation questions.
- Attendance: ~50 educators, including alumni from the School of Ice and attendees from the DuPage County, IL, professional development science conference.