New SUNY Oswego Summer Institute To ‘Energize Education For Better Future’

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For the first time since 2005, SUNY Oswego plans to offer a summer institute about energy issues both local and global, beginning July 28 on campus.

The two-week Energy Institute, “Energizing Education for a Better Future,” is designed for middle and high school science and technology teachers.

Among the topics covered in the institute will be the nature of energy, energy conservation, alternative energy sources such as the sun and wind, nuclear and radiation safety, future energy resources and energy’s connection to politics and social cultures.

Participants will visit a variety of energy facilities in the area. Each participant will build an energy curriculum portfolio that includes handouts, lesson plans and learning activities that can be used in the classroom.

From 1985 to 2005, the college operated an institute and workshops in energy education for schoolteachers from around the state with funding from the New York Power Authority and Entergy Corp. These programs affected nearly 600,000 children through the approximately 500 teachers who participated.

The new institute is funded by a state grant from the Department of Labor and a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, said Dr. Alok Kumar, chair of the physics department, who co-directs the institute with Thomas Kubicki of the technology department.

Nancy Bellow of the Office of Business and Community Relations was instrumental in securing the state grant, and Provost Susan Coultrap-McQuin and Director of Research Administration and Development Jack Gelfand secured the federal grant.

“Because the baby boomers are retiring, there is a shortage of workers for the energy industry,” Kumar said. Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that by 2012 there will be nearly 10,000 more energy industry jobs than workers available to fill them.

“We are going to train teachers to teach about energy issues effectively,” Kumar said. Not only will the institute help to infuse the workforce with new talent, but it will also help the teachers and everyone they teach to become better consumers and citizens in a global economy driven by energy.

“The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population but accounts for 25 percent of the world’s energy consumption,” Kumar said. “This imbalance forces us to be dependent on other nations, creates a scarcity for energy resources in the global market and weakens the ecosystem.”

Some of the adverse impacts are easily avoidable, he said, through energy conservation, new energy resources and smart energy practices. “This is a global issue that requires local action,” he said.

Brochures were mailed out in mid-June to prospective participants, and registration opened late last week. Up to 20 applicants may be accepted into the institute. Participants will pay tuition for three credits, graduate or undergraduate. For more information, visit www.oswego.edu/summer.

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