More than 150 educators from informal science institutions and projects—including science centers, museums, zoos, and aquariums; media projects; and community programs—will gather in San Diego to expand their understanding of climate change science and public outreach on this important issue. Invited participants in the NSF-sponsored Conference on Promoting Climate Literacy through Informal Science will explore synergies across a wide range of informal science experiences aimed at climate literacy and will also attend the 2010 AAAS Annual Meeting.

About the Climate Literacy Conference

The invitational Climate Literacy Conference is designed to (1) bring together educators working in a wide range of informal science environments for a two-day professional development conference that will focus exclusively on climate literacy in all of its dimensions and (2) provide opportunities for informal science educators to interact on the topic of climate change with scientists and science media who will be participating in the 2010 AAAS Annual Meeting that immediately follows. In addition to presentations on climate literacy and what it entails for informal science professionals and for the public, the Climate Literacy Conference will also provide hands-on opportunities for participants to apply their new knowledge and skills to their own programs and projects. Day One of the conference will take place at the Birch Aquarium, part of the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. Day Two activities will be held at the San Diego Convention Center, site of the AAAS Annual Meeting.

About the AAAS Annual Meeting

An exceptional array of speakers will gather at the 2010 AAAS Annual Meeting from 18-22 February in San Diego to present the latest thinking and developments in the areas of science, technology, engineering, education, and policy-making. One of the most widely recognized interdisciplinary scientific events, the AAAS Annual Meeting offers hundreds of networking opportunities and broad national and international media coverage.

Participant support

Invited participants will have the opportunity to attend both the two-day Climate Literacy Conference (Feb. 17-18) and the AAAS Annual Meeting (Feb. 18-22) to be held in San Diego, CA. Through a generous grant from the National Science Foundation, support will be provided for each participant to cover expenses for travel to and from San Diego; lodging, food, and local travel during the Climate Literacy Conference; and the registration fee to attend the AAAS Annual Meeting (participants will be responsible for covering their own lodging, food, and local travel expenses during the AAAS Annual Meeting). Expenses will be reimbursed after submission of receipts.

For more information, please contact Barbara Goldstein at 202-326-6628 or bgoldste@aaas.org.