Clean Air Challenge in the news!
Wow, China. I never thought I would have an opportunity like this, but I did and it was everything I had imagined it would be and more. I had the extreme pleasure of working with Chinese teachers to help prepare them to take on the challenge of training other teachers. CAC is expanding with the support of Agilent Technologies and doing it in a big way while still making it relevant to China. I met the most extraordinary teachers in who took on the challenge to not only introduce a clean air curriculum but also a different way of teaching for many of their peers. Huang Chen, Dr. She Ping Ping, Liying, Lu Ten Bin, Mr. Tien, and Sun Tsi Yun, colorful clouds, ( I hope I spelled their names correctly) led trainings of about 100 teachers in Beijing and Shanghai. We held our first training in Beijing in a high school and the second in the Shanghai Science Center which is an amazing place. It was a hot few days, but that didn't change the fun, motivating atmosphere we had created. Teachers were engaged and interested in this kind of integrated inquiry based program which gave them a springboard from which to dive into the issue of air quality. We moved the teachers from a recipe to confirm an expected result to an open-ended discussion of what we need to consider through simple yet effective experiments.
Besides the people I met in China who were warm and friendly, I will never forget the beauty, culture and progress that encompass Beijing. Next year the Olympics will take place there and signs are everywhere reminding us of the events and the significance of 8/8/08 (lucky number). Preparations are taking place all over the city with billboards and flags declaring "One World One Dream" and buildings being erected to support the increased masses of people and events. The "Bird's Nest" arena, the "Floating Egg" and many other interesting architectural projects accompany the historical and cultural old world Chinese architecture like the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Great Wall creating a city of unbelievable diversity. Again, wow, China.
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