ALEXANDRIA, Va. — As educators worldwide strive to make principles of sustainable development part of every young person's learning, Dr. Ed Robeck, Director of Education and Outreach at the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), will focus on advancing sustainability-relevant education as a Fulbright Specialist at the invitation of the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, through most of June 2024.

Dr. Robeck's work in Malaysia will build on an area of growing emphasis for the AGI Education and Outreach Department in recent years, infusing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into geoscience instruction, especially at the pre-college level. AGI staff have conducted workshops at conferences and created instructional resources that promote learning about the SDGs, and additional projects are under way. AGI's new Geoscience for Sustainability initiative, which marshals geoscience expertise and understanding to advance sustainability, has accelerated these efforts.

The Fulbright Specialist assignment will provide Dr. Robeck opportunities to share what he and his AGI colleagues have learned, as well as to learn from educators in Malaysia through teaching episodes, curriculum design projects, and collaborative discussions with teachers, faculty, and officials from the Malaysian Ministry of Education.

"Malaysian educators are embracing the SDGs as a framework for making learning relevant and enabling young people to take positive action in their lives and communities," Dr. Robeck says. "Empowering and encouraging young people to take meaningful action is recognized by the UN and others as fundamental to sustainable development. AGI is committed to furthering this important work for the good of people and the planet."

Dr. Robeck's Fulbright Specialist assignment results in part from AGI's partnership with a broader initiative at APU, the formation of a UNESCO Chair in Harnessing Innovations in Technology to Support Teachers and Quality Learning. In this UNESCO Chair, Dr. Abtar Darshan Singh is exploring ways technology can support educational opportunities, including those focused on sustainable development, across Southeast Asia and worldwide.

Dr. Robeck is one of over 400 U.S. citizens who share expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program each year. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational and cultural exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. The program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide, enables participants to address global issues while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States.

For more information on AGI Education and Outreach programs, see https://www.americangeosciences.org/education/educational-outreach. For more information on the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, see http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.

About AGI
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), a federation of scientific and professional organizations representing over a quarter-million geoscientists, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.
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AGI Contact:
Geoff Camphire, Communications
gac@americangeosciences.org