Tomorrow, Don’t Miss “Study the Land”

Calling all teachers, students, and environmentalists! Do you wish you could do more to help protect the planet (besides recycling) but are unsure of what or how? Get set to explore, connect and then act on what you've learned at the the Smithsonian's Shout Online Conference Series. And all from the comfort of your own home, classroom, or workspace. Excited yet?

Tomorrow, Smithsonian experts, students, educators and environmental professionals from across the U.S. and around the world will take part in this exciting new challenge to protect the environment. The four-part conference series is free, but participants must register ahead of time.

Each session lasts about an hour and you get to learn and connect with people from around the world in real time. You can even ask questions and contribute your own ideas and thoughts to the conversation.

"You are interacting with experts at the Smithsonian and people interested in global issues around the world so it's a very diverse group and a rich exchange of ideas," said the program's director Lynn-Steven Engelke. But more than that, "it's not just to learn about it, but to learn about what you can do to deal with some of the issues that we all face."

Last November, the first session discussed the theme, "Live with the Land," which included the following topics: a discussion on the impact of deer in forest conservation, the importance of documenting landscapes, and monitoring tree growth around the world. All of these sessions remain available online and you can still watch a recording of each one.

The second part of this series, "Study the Land," begins tomorrow, Wednesday, January 26.  This time, experts discuss the role of natural history in conservation, why Charles Darwin's work is still relevant today, and how students around the world can contribute scientific data to an exciting new research effort called the "Tree Branding Project."

The first session begins at 11:00 AM EST/4 PM GMT.  Register here to be a part of the conversation and then help spread the word. Future sessions will be held every other month, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM EST.

Check back a month before each event for more details on the sessions. Change the Land—Wednesday, March 16, 2011;  Sustain the Land— Wednesday, May 18, 2011; Value the Land — Wednesday, July 13, 2001; Celebrate the Land — Wednesday, September 21, 2001. The Smithsonian program is a partnership with Microsoft Partners in Learning and TakingITGlobal.

Arcynta Ali Childs | | READ MORE

Arcynta Ali Childs was awarded journalism fellowships from the New York Times Student Journalism Institute, the National Press Foundation, the Poynter Institute and the Village Voice. She also has worked at Ms. Magazine, O and Smithsonian.