News

UEN Climate Science named 2010 Environmental Ed Program of the Year

(St. George, Utah) – The Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE) has recognized the Utah Education Network’s Climate Science Project as the 2010 Utah Environmental Education Program of the Year. USEE presented the award Saturday, November 13, 2010 at its annual conference in St. George, Utah. The award winning project is online at uen.org/climate.

"USEE conducted a survey of Utah teachers last year and the results showed a severe lack of credible science information for them to teach about climate. UEN fulfilled that need, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and a cadre of Utah scientists, educators, and students," said UEN Chief Content Officer Laura G. Hunter. "The UEN team and our many community partners worked hard on this project to make sure we got the science right, and in a way that middle grade students could understand. We’re pleased it’s getting such a great response from teachers and students, and a respected organization like USEE."

"USEE honored UEN's Climate Science project for many reasons. The timeliness of the topic, the quality of the information, the response to a voiced need by teachers, and more, made the program stand apart from the rest of the nominees," explained USEE Executive Director Andree' Walker Bravo.

UEN Climate Science is a web-based collection of resources for teachers, students and home educators. It includes a series of two-minute animated videos UEN commissioned with Planet Nutshell in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "In one episode we visualized an entire climate system from mountains to desert to jungle. With animation you can do that," said producer Joshua Gunn. "Our mission is to present complex topics in a fun and understandable way. It's rewarding to work on something that's so important and will make an impact with teachers and students."

The Utah Society for Environmental Education is a statewide leader in promoting high quality environmental education in Utah. It encourages environmental literacy and serves as an information resource for to educators, K-12 teachers, higher education and the Utah community at large. The organization seeks to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability for Utah.

The Utah Education Network is an award-winning consortium of public education, higher education and the state’s library system. UEN provides broadband connectivity to Utah school districts, public colleges and universities and public libraries throughout the state. UEN also provides instructional services and professional development for educators, connects hundreds of Utah class rooms via interactive video conferencing, and operates UEN-TV.

For more information, contact:
Rich Finlinson
801-585-7271