Science Alive

K-12 Teacher Professional Development and Curriculum

EnergySmart Education

Science Alive works to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, prepare students for STEM careers, reduce energy usage among teachers, students, and schools, and reduce the environmental impacts from energy and water consumption. The Science Alive program also provides educator trainings, Green Boxes, school support, field trips, and a speaker series for pre-K-12 educators with an emphasis on energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and related topics. 

Curriculum and Resources

The Green Box program offers several energy efficiency and conservation focused curriculum boxes for use by Nevada educators. Available for a range of grades, each box helps students uncover how humans produce energy and learn strategies to reduce energy and water consumption in their daily lives. Interested in using an EnergySmart green box in your classroom? Visit our Green Box page. 

The contents of a Science Alive Green Box

Each Green Box is a self-contained teaching kit that provides educators with a unit of lesson plans along with all of the necessary supplies.

Participating Schools and Organizations

Over half of the participating schools are designated as Title I, in which more than 50% of the campus student population is eligible for the federal Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) program, a reliable indicator of poverty. Additionally, among the schools served in the current year by the EnergySmart program, 10 percent of the student population at the schools served are designated as Limited English Proficiency. See a current map of our EnergySmart School across Nevada.

Map of participating schools and organizations

Map of schools and organizations participating in the EnergySmart program

Professional Development

Our last EnergySmart Education Workshop was held virtually this Fall 2020. Participants got a chance to interact with a DRI climate scientist, explore clean energy solutions and learn about available classroom resources. Not able to attend? Watch the workshop series on our YouTube channel!

Photo of EnergySmart professional development session

EnergySmart teacher training

 

Home Energy

Because we know students take home what they learn at school, we’ve developed tools to enhance energy education at home. Find home energy savings; NV Energy and Southwest Gas.

photo of lightbulb

EnergySmart Home Kits

The classroom Energysmart program will be conducted virtually for the 2020-2021 school year.  Fall presentations have concluded, but presentations will resume virtually this coming Spring, 2021. 

For questions, contact Chris, the STEM Education and Outreach Coordinator, at christopher.king@dri.edu

Calling ALL 4th Grade Teachers in areas served by Southwest Gas – A virtual EnergySmart presentation is available to you!

Receive free Take Action Kits, educational activities, and qualifying teachers will be entered into a raffle to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

Fourth grade teachers and administrators may register by clicking here. After school eligibility is determined, you will be contacted to schedule the virtual classroom visit and set up deliveries of teacher materials and the student Take Action Kits.

Teacher Rewards

  • Post-presentation, teachers must submit 70% or more of students’ Home Energy Worksheets online, by the specified deadline, to be entered to win a $100 Amazon giftcard.

Program Documents and Resources

EnergySmart PSA

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are videos created to raise awareness and change public attitudes and behavior toward a social issue. Effective PSAs often have a powerful message that sticks with the viewer, sometimes becoming part of a society’s collective norm. We host a yearly EnergySmart PSA contest for middle school aged students to help us create awareness around energy conservation and efficiency.

This year’s PSA contest has been extended and will end on December 11th, 2020! Interested in having your class participate?

SIGN UP HERE!

Follow these four easy steps to enter the contest!

Step 1: Make sure you’re eligible to participate.
Is the city in which you attend school highlighted on the Eligible City List? Are you in grades 6-8? If you answered yes to both, we encourage you to submit a video to the contest.
Step 2: Print and sign a talent release form. Download the form here!

Step 3: MAKE AN AWESOME VIDEO! Your PSA should be fun, engaging and follow this year’s prompt. Videos will be judged on how clear and understandable the energy saving tips are & overall quality (visually appealing, sound, etc.). Review the video guidelines for length and group size.

If you need some inspiration, visit https://www.swgas.com/en/energy-saving-tips for examples of how people can reduce their energy consumption or watch last year’s winning videos on our YouTube.

 

Questions? Email Emma, our STEM Education Outreach Coordinator! 

Emma.Beach@dri.edu 

Sponsors:

           NV Energy Logo

 

Other Support From:

  • Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition
  • Center of Excellence
  • Southern Nevada Water Authority
  • Springs Preserve
  • Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program

Partners:

  • Envirolution
  • Government Office of Energy
  • Green Chips
  • US Green Building Council
  • Alliance for Climate Education

 

 

CONTACT

Craig Rosen
Community Relations and Professional Development Administrator
Craig.Rosen@dri.edu

LOCATION

Desert Research Institute
2215 Raggio Parkway
Reno, NV 89512

DIVISION

Office of Education