Who are we?
#60above60 is currently part of an interdisciplinary and international project focused on urban sustainability in the Arctic, funded by the National Science Foundation Arctic Program for International Research and Education (PIRE). (#60above60 Project featured in the 2017 Arctic Year Book)
What is our goal?
#60above60 aims to enhance the perspectives of students about urban life and sustainability issues through establishing partnerships among schools in the Washington DC metropolitan area and in cities across the Arctic to create and exchange digital 60-second environmental stories. In #60above60, students are able to:
- Explore city life and environmental challenges
- Think critically about urban sustainability
- Investigate solutions to environmental problems
Why educate around Arctic urban sustainability?
- The unprecedented rate of climate change in the Arctic creates greater opportunities to exploit natural resources.
- Climate change is amplified in Arctic urban centers where myriad human activities exert additional pressure on Arctic ecosystems.
- Arctic systems are essentially interconnected with non-Arctic systems – accelerating climate change in the Arctic has global consequences.
- In spite of scientific consensus around these issues, there remains a serious disconnect between scientific research and public knowledge and action.
Transforming NOW!
2017-2018 School Year
- 18 schools internationally participated in #60above60
- 18 teachers from the U.S. (Washington, DC, Alaska), Norway, Canada, Finland, and Russia were engaged
- 400 students were reached
2019 Spring
Arctic PIRE has launched the 2019 school year of #60above60 in the DMV and the Arctic areas! Many new schools from Alaska, Norway, and Finland have been involved in the coming 2019 spring semester to share their unique digital environmental stories with the outside.
We are thrilled to have you and your students involved in our project! In #60above60, you should expect and receive:
- Teacher’s #60above60 Guide
- Student’s #60above60 Guide
- One-to-one classroom pairs
- In-depth dialogue between schools in the DMV and across the Arctic
For more information about the #60above60 project, or to become involved in our 2019 school year’s project, please feel free to contact Beth Short at bshort@gwu.edu, follow @60above60 on Twitter, and look through #60above60 Inquiry Letter.
Presentations
Laura Engel and Beth Short presented a paper on the #60above60 project at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (AERA) in New York City, NY – April 2018
Beth Short presented a paper on the #60above60 project at the National Association for Research on ScienceTeaching Meeting (NARST) in Atlanta, GA – March 2018
Laura Engel presented on the #60above60 project at a Global Teacher Education webinar – November 2018.
Click here for more information and details about our Alaska Field Trip in June 2018!
Contact Us!
- Dr. Laura Engel: Lce@gwu.edu
- Beth Short: bshort@gwu.edu
- Binyu Yang: binyuyang@gwu.edu
- Twitter: @60above60
- Facebook: @ArcticPIRE