Community outreach, the dissemination of information about environmental science and current research, is central to PEI’s mandate. Our efforts include programs for K-12 students and teachers, community college undergraduates and professors, and the general public. These community outrach activities are supported and staffed by PEI research units funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. For further information about our community outreach projects, please click on the links to the research unit websites below:

Environmental fieldwork and collaboration was the focus of a talk presented by PEI to university and K-12 educators from across the country at the National Science Teachers Association in Anaheim, California on April 8, 2006. Dr. Eileen Zerba, Instructor and Director of Undergraduate Laboratories and Anne Catena, PEI Outreach Coordinator spoke about PEI’s efforts to educate undergraduates and local teachers using a living laboratory model for fieldwork and experimentation. PEI’s integration of science and engineering approaches with policies, economics, and social sciences to design solutions for environmental problems was of great interest to the teachers, administrators and science education centers in the audience.

The presentation included a discussion of the environmental role of higher education, and interdisciplinary long-term project-oriented studies at Princeton University linked to environmental courses, undergraduate research, and community education.

This outreach program was in support of the research conducted by the Center for Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry, CEBIC. For more details about CEBIC outreach to the scientific community and the public at large, see http://www.princeton.edu/~cebic/outreach.html

Center for Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry (CEBIC)
CEBIC aims to apply the tools and concepts of bioinorganic chemistry to environmental problems. Its principal research objective is to elucidate the structures, mechanisms and interactions of important natural metalloenzymes and metal-binding compounds which mediate the environmental effects of trace metals in the environment. Community outreach programs include:

• Summer institute for teachers in grades 6-8 and spring symposium
• Research partnerships with Mercer County Community College and Middlesex County College faculty and students
• CEBIC undergraduate summer research fellowships
• Dissemination of current research for the general public

Those interested in applying to CEBIC summer undergraduate research fellowships should consult the Internships and Fellowships Opportunities page under the Environmental Studies program.

Center for Biocomplexity
Biological systems, from ecosystems to the biosphere, support our continued existence on the planet. The key is in understanding biocomplexity—how it arises, how it is maintained, and how it sustains the services we derive from it. Community outreach programs include:

• Collaboration with the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education
• Teacher professional development programs
• Public and academic lectures
• Student research and presentations

Cooperative Institute for Climate Science (CICS)
CICS aims to be a world leader in understanding and predicting climate and the co-evolution of society and the environment, and in training the next generations to deal with the increasing complexity of these issues. Community outreach program includes:

• Summer institute for teachers in grades 3-6

For more information about PEI’s Community Outreach programs please contact Jean Marie Layton, Manager, Communications and Outreach at jmlayton@princeton.edu or 609-258-7434.

Delaware River Steamboat Floating Classroom with Professor Bart Hoebel– This steamboat makes a “S-P-L-A-S-H”, as students take an educational boat ride to learn about clean-water ecology and American history.

The Stonybrook Millstone Watershed Association– The Education Program aims to inspire children, provide continuing education for teachers, inform area residents and officials, and foster a sense of environmental stewardship in order to protect and preserve the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed.

TerraCycle – founded by undergraduate students, Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer, TerraCycle produces the world's first consumer product line that is not only made completely from waste but is also packaged in waste. TerraCycle inspires students to actively go into their communities and collect used soda bottles. These bottles are then stripped, cleaned, and filled directly with TerraCycle Plant Food.

New Jersey Waterwatch – A joint program of AmeriCorps and the NJPIRG Law and Policy Center, Water Watch works to empower students and community members to address water quality problems in New Jersey's urban areas through education and service.

The Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education - The Alliance is a network of those who care about developing and conserving New Jersey's natural habitat and resources.

The Department of Environmental Education in New Jersey – The State Environmental Education Directory website provides access to information and resources throughout New Jersey.