More than 150 educators from informal science institutions and projects—including science centers, museums, zoos, and aquariums; media projects; and community programs—gathered 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 also explored synergies across a wide range of informal science experiences aimed at climate literacy, and many also attended the 2010 AAAS Annual Meeting.

About the Climate Literacy Conference

The invitational Climate Literacy Conference brought together educators working in a wide range of informal science environments for a two-day professional development conference that focused exclusively on climate literacy in all of its dimensions and provided opportunities for informal science educators to interact on the topic of climate change with scientists, science media, and others who participated in the 2010 AAAS Annual Meeting that immediately followed. In addition to presentations on climate literacy and what it entails for informal science professionals and for the public, the Climate Literacy Conference also provided opportunities for participants to apply their new knowledge and skills to their own programs and projects. Day One of the conference was hosted by the Birch Aquarium, part of the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. Day Two activities were held at the San Diego Convention Center, site of the AAAS Annual Meeting.

About the AAAS Annual Meeting

An exceptional array of speakers gathered 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 offered hundreds of networking opportunities and broad national and international media coverage.