A symposium was held on campus in early July to introduce high school teachers to the School of Science and Engineering.
Julio Gonzalez (Engineering), associate dean of the school, said the objective of the symposium was to provide high school teachers with a sample of the college’s high quality instruction and resources that they can then share with their students.
“Our goal is to keep the excellent professors, programs and laboratory facilities we have at New Paltz on the minds of teachers and students interested in the science and engineering fields,” said Gonzalez.
The symposium featured an on-campus workshop and a field trip. Twenty-one science teachers from local high schools attended either the workshop, field trip or both.
The workshop, taught by Gonzalez and Mike Otis (Engineering), focused on the subject of renewable energy. Teachers attending the geology field trip, led by Fred Vollmer (Geology), were transported using the newly acquired geology van. Participants visited sites in Poughkeepsie and Shawangunk.
Gonzalez said the goal of the program was also to provide a service to the community by leading the way in environmentally conscious pursuits.
“We hope the workshop gave the attendees powerful tools that they can use to awaken their students’ awareness of the world energy problem and its possible solutions,” he said.
Based on the positive responses from a survey given to the teachers at the end of the events, Gonzalez said the program will be held again.
The event was organized by the Office of the Dean of Science and Engineering and sponsored by the Office of Enrollment Management.