SEEdS Origins
More than two decades ago, Dr. Merle H. Jensen, in conjunction with Walt Disney Productions, led a team that developed new concepts for presenting hydroponic/controlled environment agriculture to the public as entertainment to enhance learning.
This team helped create Living with the Land (formerly Listen to the Land) and Tomorrow’s Harvest, at Walt Disney World’s Epcot in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Jensen realized that young people need to feel the excitement of the real world ways that science and technology help solve important problems of living sustainably on our planet. With their attention captured and interest sparked, students not only are inspired to learn, but also to pursue career pathways in environmental research and sustainability practices.
In this day and age with so much competing for their attention, bold moves must be taken early on in their lives, to channel them into these studies and work.
Remembering the excitement he and other elementary school students felt receiving and reading the Weekly Reader, an educational classroom magazine that brought the world into the classroom, Dr. Jensen envisioned a sort of “electronic Weekly Reader” of the sciences distributed each week into U.S. classrooms.
In 2009, the Obama Administration’s push for education reform in this country with Race to the Top inspired the collaboration of current and former faculty and staff of the University of Arizona, Pima County school districts, and industry and business partners. The UA Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, Pima County Joint Technological Education District, and Breakaway Media formed the core group that drove SEEdS’ development.
Through this collaboration, Sustainable Ecosystems Education in Science (SEEdS) was created and designed to improve college and career readiness and increase the success of high need student populations in science, technology, engineering, and math, with a focus on sustainable ecosystems.
Dr. Jensen’s original vision became the basis for SEEdS GreenNews, the online video science TV news program and an integral component of the SEEdS project.
The SEEdS team has developed a comprehensive approach to transforming core high school science courses into rigorous, relevant, and meaningful courses by using a “green” sustainable ecosystems theme to integrate content, cutting-edge research, and 21st Century skills.
Phase 1 implementation is planned to begin in 4th quarter, 2010.
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