Findlay Times

The University of Findlay is inviting all Northwest Ohio middle and high school educators teaching environmental and agricultural science to campus for a one-day workshop. The teacher workshop is scheduled for Friday, May 26, and will help teachers develop curriculum that they will be able to incorporate into their own classrooms. The theme of the workshop is “Waste to Energy: Incorporation of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Practices in the Classroom.”

As part of the workshop, participating educators will gain experience in renewable energy and best practices on incorporating sustainability into the classroom, get hands-on experience in the lab working with biodiesel production and testing, and receive one credit hour of workshop credit through UF’s Master of Arts in Education Program. All fees will be paid for through grants the University of Findlay received from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Columbia Gas. A stipend will also be made available to the educator’s school for the purchase of equipment and supplies related to the incorporation of the new curriculum developed.

Nathan Tice, Ph.D. is an associate professor of chemistry and chair of physical sciences at the University of Findlay. Tice was part of the team who acquired the initial grant from the Columbia Gas Foundation in 2018, allowing for teacher workshops on campus, the development of the Waste to Energy Resource curriculum, and the facilitation of undergraduate research involving biodiesel and biodiesel fuel additives. Tice and his team continued their efforts, acquiring $37,684 in grant money from the Ohio EPA in 2022. “The recent Ohio EPA grant will allow us to not only run additional teaching workshops on campus, but also develop long-term relationships with environmental and agricultural science teachers in the surrounding community. We will be helping educators develop their own sustainability curriculum for their classrooms, supporting its implementation, and aiding in the evaluation of its effectiveness,” said Tice.

The goal is for the workshop to go beyond what is taught to the teachers who attend and find its way to middle and high school students. “The Waste to Energy resource facilitates the development of skill sets necessary for middle and high schools to train 21st-century workers for agribusiness jobs. Students may end up becoming teachers in environmental or ag science or may end up working in the various areas of soybean or biodiesel production. The Waste to Energy resource gives teachers an avenue to show their students that these areas are great career pathways with lots of opportunities for growth in the future,” Tice said.

If you are a teacher, or know a teacher that may be interested in attending the May 26 workshop, please visit the Waste to Energy page through the University of Findlay website. To register for the event, click the red registration button.

Original source can be found here.