Oswego State plans to offer a summer institute about energy issues both local and global. The two-week Energy Institute, "Energizing Education for a Better Future," will be from July 6 to 15 and is beings designed for high school mathematics, science and technology teachers.

The institute, which will be held on campus, will provide teachers with activities they can directly implement in their current curriculum and/or use to develop new curricular units on energy and sustainability.

The curriculum delivered in this institute was designed using the principles of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Reform Movement being promoted by Congress, the National Science Foundation and NASA. Topics will include the nature of energy, energy conservation, alternative energy sources such as sun and wind, nuclear and radiation safety, future energy resources and energy’s connection to politics and social cultures.

Attendees will visit a variety of energy facilities in the area. Each participant will build an energy curriculum portfolio that includes handouts, lesson plans and learning activities that can be used in the classroom.

Partial funding for the 2010 program will come from a state grant from the Department of Labor.

The institute is co-directed by Dr. Alok Kumar, chair of the SUNY Oswego physics department, and aims to infuse the workforce with new talent, while helping the teachers and everyone they teach to become better consumers and citizens in a global economy driven by energy.

"We are going to train teachers to teach about energy issues effectively," Kumar said.

Registration will be available until May 23. Up to 24 applicants may be accepted into the institute. Participants can opt to enroll for a non-credit option or pay tuition for three credits, graduate or undergraduate.

Non-credit and graduate study options satisfy professional development requirements, organizers said.