Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES), an organization committed to advancing student engagement in science, is proud to announce Tom Ackerman, Vice President for Education at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, as the recipient of its Fourth Annual Youth Environmental Science (YES) Medal. The medal will be presented at a reception on December 10 at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Washington, DC.
The YES Medal is awarded annually in recognition of a significant contribution to youth learning as citizen environmental scientists. The Medal is accompanied by a $10,000 grant that is presented to an organization of the recipient’s choosing to further the organization’s work consistent with the objectives of YLACES. Tom Ackerman has chosen the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Urban Outreach Initiative as the grant recipient.
“The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has long been a national leader in environmental education, providing experiential programs for students, teachers, and the public,” said YLACES Founder and President, Dixon Butler. “Throughout his distinguished career, Tom Ackerman has advanced environmental education, awareness, and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay.”
In addition to his work at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Ackerman has played leadership roles in the National, Maryland, and Virginia chapters of the No Child Left Inside Coalition, as well as the Maryland Environmental Literacy Partnership and the National Advisory Panel on Environmental Literacy. Tom and his team have partnered with some of the largest school districts in the United States, establishing over a dozen systemic environmental curriculum programs. Tom serves as co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program Education Workgroup, as a steering committee member of the Governor’s Project Green Classrooms initiative (MD), as a 2018 National Geographic Explorer, and the Doherty Chair for Environmental Education.
According to Will Baker, President of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Tom Ackerman has grown the Foundation’s education program and has helped make the Chesapeake Bay the environmental issue for students in the region.” He added, “We are grateful for YLACES’ recognition and its support for the Urban Outreach Initiative.”
ABOUT YLACES
Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES) seeks to develop citizens with scientific habits of mind, utilizing the environment as a learning laboratory where students conduct research and contribute to a better collective understanding of our changing world.
YLACES assists and rewards the implementation of inquiry-based, experiential science education where students do science and contribute to understanding of our environment through recognition and financial rewards. Grants range from support for taking simple measurements to Student Research Symposia.
For more information, visit www.YLACES.org
CONTACT INFORMATION Danielle Miller Wagner - (202) 744-6506, ylaces@ylaces.org