Powdermill Lecture Series

Alexis Thorbecke is the Public Programs Manager at Powdermill Nature Reserve, the ecological research station of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. She is passionate about environmental science and how we can use science to make better environmental decisions. Her experience includes researching the best methods to teach people about climate change, studying the effects of environmental education on recycling behaviors, and teaching young people how to engage with their local governments. She has contributed to Pennsylvania's new Environmental Literacy standards and is ever striving to improve her educator abilities.

Environmental scientists devote their careers, and often their lives, to growing what we know about the natural world. This ever-advancing field is complex and can be overwhelming to the average person. How do we understand what's being researched in ecology when it is obscured by terminology and abstract ideas? More importantly, how do we introduce these ideas to young learners in a way they can understand? Environmental educators attempt to bridge this gap. Come learn how these educators interpret information in a way that is digestible and entertaining. Learn about the methodology they use to make students want to be lifelong learners, and how to make anyone care about the environment.