Langenberg Lecture/Maryland-Delaware Climate Change Education Summit

The Langenberg Lecture and the Maryland-Delaware Climate Change Education Summit were held at the University of Maryland, University College (UMUC) Inn and Conference Center on September 19, 2011. The event was hosted by the MADE-CLEAR (Maryland and Delaware Climate Change Education, Assessment and Research) Project, a Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) project funded by the National Science Foundation. The lecture and summit drew almost 270 people from Maryland, Delaware, as well as the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area. The audience included climate science and learning science experts from higher education and state and federal agencies, K-12 teachers, policy-makers, and representatives of the informal education community for environmental education.

The keynote speaker for the Langenberg Lecture was Dr. John P. Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Holdren’s talk was entitled “Coping with Climate Change: Challenges in Education, Mitigation and Adaptation.” The Langenberg Lecture was followed by breakout sessions for all summit participants, and then a distinguished panel representing higher education, K-12 and the business community perspectives on climate change education. The wrap-up that followed the panel featured a summary of the breakout session highlights, and the review of a Summit Statement. The statement provides directions for comprehensive and effective climate change education programs in Maryland and Delaware.

Summit Materials:

1. Summit Program
2. Dr. John P. Holdren’s Keynote Presentation
3. Video of Langenberg Lecture and Keynote Address
4. Summary of Breakout Sessions:

• Theme 1–“Preparing the Educators to Teach Climate Change”
• Theme 2–“Overcoming Barriers to Climate Change Education”
• Theme 3–“Raising Climate Change Awareness Among Students”
• Theme 4–“Promoting Collaboration on Climate Change Education”

5. Summit Statement