Friday, January 23, 12:00 PM Central / 1:00 PM Eastern

What does the future of EE look like? How do we make it happen? This panel includes a master’s student, doctoral candidate, and a post-doctoral researcher who will share insights and experiences of their journey on this path to the next wave of environmental education.

To get a Zoom link and add the event to your calendar, register here >

Panelists:

Sarah Wood is originally from Natchitoches, Louisiana and earned a BA in history from LSU. She volunteered with the non-profit WorldTeach as an English teacher in the Marshall Islands, worked at a fishery in Alaska, and then settled in Pittsburgh, PA, for a few years, where she worked in the public school system as a full-time substitute. During the pandemic, Sarah became obsessed with birding and after a bit of traveling, decided that the formal classroom was no longer where she wanted to spend her days. She worked as a naturalist and avian rehabilitator at the Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence, KS, before moving north to follow the birds. In Duluth, MN, she worked as a naturalist educator for Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and the Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center, and as a summer camp teacher for the Lake Superior Zoo, before deciding to return to school for her master's degree. At UWSP, Sarah works at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station (CWES) where she has directed summer camp programming, mentors undergraduate students in the field of EE & Interpretation, and teaches outdoor education programming to visiting school groups. For her thesis research, Sarah is exploring what gets young adults into birding as a hobby and what keeps them birding. In her free time, Sarah enjoys hiking with her dog Banjo, playing the guitar, and making Southern dishes that remind her of home.

Amy Eldredge Powell is a Ph.D. candidate in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State University, where she also earned her M.S. in 2023. She holds a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College (2010), with majors in Animal Behavior and Studio Art. With over ten years of experience in environmental education, Amy has led programs, managed volunteers, and coached educators in nature-centered learning. She has experience across nonprofit, government, and academic settings and has worked in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Hawaii. Her research primarily focuses on youth-to-adult intergenerational learning in environmental education and how nature-based experiences support student well-being in higher education. Amy strives to connect people to nature to benefit both people and the environment.

Dr. Eric Nolan is a postdoctoral researcher in educational leadership at California State University, East Bay, in Hayward, California. His current research has two main focuses: developing classroom practices that cultivate transformational teaching and learning related to complex socioscientific issues (such as climate change and sustainability) and analyzing organizational capacity within networked improvement communities in education reform. Environmental education is a key aspect of his work to improve education systems and classroom practices, supporting students and teachers to see themselves as active participants and change agents in the betterment of society and the natural world.

This webinar is funded by ee360+ (a consortium of 26 partners led by the North American Association for Environmental Education and funded by the U.S. EPA).