SUCCEED

Preparing a literate public to critically evaluate issues related to climate change, energy and the environment is an important pillar towards more sustainable societies. The Summer Center for Climate, Energy, and Environmental Decision-Making (SUCCEED) is a K-12 Outreach program created by the University's Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP). The program was originally proposed and created under the auspices of the Climate and Energy Decision Making Center (CEDM), a multi-institution collaborative agreement anchored at the University, and supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The program objectives are a) to improve scientific literacy by providing a free summer program focusing on climate, energy, and environmental decision-making for both students entering tenth grade, and K-12 teachers, b) encourage pursuit of STEM-related careers, and c) to help teachers prepare curriculum in this area to be used in class. SUCCEED consists of two programs: a five-day workshop with approximately twenty students entering 10th grade, and a two-day workshop with approximately ten math and science educators to improve teacher curriculum. SUCCEED has been held every summer from 2011 to 2016, and is planned to be held again in 2017. Through this submission, we plan to describe the general characteristics of SUCCEED, discuss program outcomes, and explore lessons learned.