Integrating intergenerational knowledge into evolutionary education, conservation and scientific communication
Despite experiencing mass global biodiversity loss as our climate shifts, we still have relatively little understanding of why and how certain organisms adapt or evolve to environmental changes. Studies have highlighted the benefits of intergenerational knowledge transfer in education, learning and research; yet, there has been little applicability and direct assessment in evolutionary applied classrooms or conservation efforts.
The goal of this project team is to bring Cornell STEM undergraduate students from an Advanced Evolution course together with elderly local participants from Brookdale Senior Living in Ithaca to discuss mechanisms of evolutionary theory and derive community-driven research solutions to climate change. The team aims to create meaningful, lasting ties between participants, enhance scientific communication skills and broaden a greater sense of belonging to the environment and society.
Integrating intergenerational knowledge into evolutionary education, conservation and scientific communication
Despite experiencing mass global biodiversity loss as our climate shifts, we still have relatively little understanding of why and how certain organisms adapt or evolve to environmental changes. Studies have highlighted the benefits of intergenerational knowledge transfer in education, learning and research; yet, there has been little applicability and direct assessment in evolutionary applied classrooms or conservation efforts.
The goal of this project team is to bring Cornell STEM undergraduate students from an Advanced Evolution course together with elderly local participants from Brookdale Senior Living in Ithaca to discuss mechanisms of evolutionary theory and derive community-driven research solutions to climate change. The team aims to create meaningful, lasting ties between participants, enhance scientific communication skills and broaden a greater sense of belonging to the environment and society.
- Swanne Gordon, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Hannah Gurholt, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Community partner: Brookdale Senior Living, Ithaca
Providing seed support for a wide range of community-engaged learning projects