Hands-on learning and first-hand experiences were on tap for early childhood through 12^th grade teachers and undergraduate students as they learned about local environmental issues through Lamar University’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences annual Teaching Environmental Science summer institute July 9-20. The 10-day field institute is offered in conjunction with the Region 5 Science Collaborative, local industries, state and federal agencies, and environmental non-governmental organizations.

The “Teaching Environmental Science in the Three Rivers’ (Sabine, Neches and Trinity rivers) Watersheds and Wetlands” course, which has been held annually since 1996, promotes strategies for protecting natural resources in Southeast Texas. Since its inception, more than 200,000 Texas students have taken courses from teachers who have experienced the institute.

During the two-week course the teachers and students “went out into the real world” through a variety of experiences that included “canoeing on Village Creek and testing water quality with kits that the teachers are given to use in their classrooms or visiting regional industry where industry hosts talked about different issues,” said Jim Westgate, professor of earth and space sciences at LU. “We find out what they’re making as an industry, but we also find out what they’re doing to protect the environment.”

The teachers and students were able to visit facilities at DuPont, Valero, Entergy, Huntsman, Chevron Phillips and more. After going to these plants Shaelyn Anderson, an 8^th grade science teacher at Vidor junior high learned how industries “really do work together with all these different entities to make sure it’s safer than how it used to be.”

Anderson, who taught for 13 years in Beaumont, said, “I’ve wanted to take this class for a really long time. I’ve had friends who’ve taken it, so I was really excited to be able to get to this year.” Emilee Walters, an undergraduate majoring in 4^th through 8^th grade math and science education said, “this class helped show me things I can have my students do, things that they need to learn. And it gave me opportunities to bring them examples.”

During the program, the teachers and students explored and studied environmental topics including hazardous waste disposal, pollution prevention and wastewater treatment in the petrochemical industry, electrical generation, with industry focusing on lessening its impact on the local environment. Westgate said, “the students are learning about how industry and non-governmental organizations and governmental organizations are working together to solve environmental issues.” Participants also explored other environmental habitats in the Golden Triangle, including airboat trips on the Neches, canoeing Village Creek in the Big Thicket National Preserve, and learning about wetlands and estuarine productivity and their role as coastal nurseries.

Participants this year were Shaelyn Anderson, Vidor Junior High; Jim King, West Orange Stark High School; Raegan Kleinpeter, Homer Drive Elementary; John Solomon, West Brook High School; as well as Lamar University students James Indelicato, Travis Tran, Emilee Walters, Loren Whitman and Josh Zuniga. Helping Westgate with the program was master science teacher Jennie Knapp, Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD.

The Teaching Environmental Science Institute is jointly sponsored by 21 partners: Entergy, Westrock, Texas Regional Science Collaborative, Jason Alliance of Southeast Texas, SEMPRA/Port Arthur LNG, Chevron Phillips, Texas Energy Museum, Huntsman, DuPont SRW, Valero, National Park Service: Big Thicket National Preserve, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Big Thicket Association, Clean Air & Water, Inc., Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Prevention & Response, Texas Agrilife Extension Service/Sea Grant, Texas State University Texas Stream Team, Texas Parks & Wildlife Coastal Fisheries, U.S. Coast Guard and Lamar University.

The Lamar University TES Institute has received international, national and statewide exposure through presentations at numerous venues. These have included meetings of the International Conference on Hands-on Science in Antalya, Turkey (2012), Australian Association for Environmental Education (2006), National Science Teachers Association (2003 & 2005), North American Association for Environmental Education (2002 & 2003), Science Teachers Association of Texas (2001-2004), Texas Academy of Science (2002, 2003, 2005, & 2013), and the Texas Environmental Educators Partnership (2002).