Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Westminster College senior Cassie Treshok gave an oral presentation and set up a display at the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators conference March 18 at Antiochian Village in Bolivar.
Treshok presented information on Westminster's Sustainability in Motion (SuSIM), an outreach program established last fall. SuSIM educates students of all ages about the benefits of solar energy and other sustainable technologies through lesson plans and other activities to address sustainability education.
"This experience was very beneficial because I was able to talk about Sustainability in Motion to a wide audience," Treshok said. "Many teachers at the conference were very interested in the program and hope to use our lessons in the future."
"In addition to Cassie, we have three students - Colin Agner, Nicole George, and Zach Smith - working on SuSIM outreach," said Dr. Helen Boylan, Westminster associate professor of chemistry and SuSIM coordinator. "Cassie's main role has been creation and maintenance of our website. She was also the lead in the development of our solar energy display that she presented at the conference."
The program receives funding support from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Education Grants Program and Westminster's Science in Motion and Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Treshok received a travel/presentation grant from the Drinko Center to attend the conference. She plans to continue working in the area of sustainability after graduation as a member of a sustainability team with a major financial institution.
The Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was created to enrich undergraduate education at Westminster through advancing world-class teaching as well as by participating in collaborations that address community and regional needs including strengthening K-12 education. The Undergraduate Research Initiative provides funding for students to conduct research and to present their research at regional and national conferences. Visit www.westminster.edu/drinko for more information about the Drinko Center and its programs.
Contact Boylan at (724) 946-6293 or email boylanhm@westminster.edu for additional information. To learn more about Westminster's Sustainability in Motion program, visit http://www.westminster.edu/sustain.
