Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

A CIRES E&O, WWA, and IT team, culturally responsive education program

Profiles

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Headshot of Brigitta Rongstad
Headshot of Megan Littrell
Headshot of Kathryn Boyd
Headshot of Christine Okochi
Headshot of Casey Marsh
Headshot of Daniela Pennycook
Headshot of Ami Nacu-Schmidt
Headshot of Ethan Knight
Headshot of Matthew Price
People
Brigitta Rongstad, Annamarie Schaecher, Megan Littrell, Katie Boyd, Christine Okochi, Casey Marsh, Daniela Pennycook, Ami Nacu-Schmidt, Ethan Knight, Benét Duncan, Matt Price
Year Awarded
2023
Type
OPA Service
Affiliation
Administration, CEEE, WWA
Geography
CIRES

This CIRES team developed and led the We are Water project, an ambitious public education program focused on water in the desert Southwest. As communities across the Four Corners region are increasingly experiencing disruptions from climate change, this culturally responsive exhibit inspired community dialogue around water by both designing an interactive, traveling exhibit, take-home activities, and library programs, and implementing them on-site with partnering libraries. This  innovative model of inspiring public dialogue about a contentious and societally relevant topic in rural areas raises awareness about these changes and hazards within communities, and inspires engagement and resilience. The exhibit is an excellent example of translating complicated science topics into engaging, hopeful, and interactive outreach.