FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 10, 2018

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is proud to announce the second chapter of its original film series, Earth as Inspiration. The series – narrated by AGI Earth Science Education Ambassador and former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell – underscores the importance of Earth science learning and understanding for young and old audiences alike.

 

While the first chapter of the film series showcased young people who have a passion for studying the Earth, this next chapter focuses on an equally important part of the educational equation – the teachers who inspire students.

In her second engagement as Education Ambassador, Jewell attended AGI-ExxonMobil K-5 Teacher Leadership Academy in June 2018. Partially funded by ExxonMobil Exploration Company and hosted at the state-of-the-art ExxonMobil headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas, two Earth Science Teacher Leadership Academies are facilitated by AGI each year – one for elementary school teachers and one for middle school teachers. Through this program, AGI now trains nearly 50 educators from across the United States each year, providing participants with instructional and leadership resources, access to research facilities, and inquiry-based hands-on activities.

 

Jewell joined and participated alongside the group of elementary school teachers, marveling at their unrestrained passion for the science. "Teachers come alive like their elementary school kids will when they do these hands-on experiments that relate to geosciences in the world around them," said Jewell. 

 

Since their launch in 2008, the Teacher Leadership Academies have served nearly 400 elementary and middle school teachers, with this year's programs uniting educators from 15 states. Now in their 10th year, the Teacher Leadership Academies benefit from AGI's exceptional Earth science curricula and online resources.

 

"You want your employees to be curious, you want them to think for themselves, you want them to be able to question – to take you to the next level. If that's not unlocked in a child, it's very hard to get back as an adult, so this is important for the future of our economy and the future of our planet," said Jewell.

 

The next chapter in AGI's Earth as Inspiration series featuring Jewell takes her to New Mexico to join local middle school students for a hands-on field experience at Valles Caldera National Preserve. That video will be released later this year.

 

 

 

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is a nonprofit federation of 52 scientific and professional associations that represents more than 260,000 geoscientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

 

AGI is a not-for-profit 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:

Joseph Lilek

571.483.5445

 

 

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