On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Dr. Jennifer Brandon spoke on a panel at the 9th NYC Green School Conference, held at the iconic General Electric Building (570 Lexington Avenue).
The annual NYC Green School Conference is designed to accelerate the integration of climate consciousness into education systems worldwide. This year’s gathering was an official Climate Week NYC event, organized in parallel with the 80th United Nations General Assembly and convened in partnership with several leading international institutions, including UNESCO-IESALC, UN SDSN, Columbia University’s Climate School, University of Colorado Boulder, Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet, the SDG Academy, Public Trust for Land, Green Film School Alliance, the National Extension Climate Initiative, and others.
Dr. Brandon joined the panel ‘Regional Climate Education Initiatives – Lessons from State-Level Innovation,’ which focused on how regional collaborations can enhance climate education. The panelists shared outreach strategies that embed sustainability into classrooms, farms, and communities. With a focus on state-level action, the session explored how universities can serve as local climate hubs, linking education, research, and citizen engagement.
Dr. Brandon shared her experiences as a Price Postdoctoral Fellow at Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and emphasized the importance of science communication in engaging audiences, particularly young people. “My postdoctoral fellowship was the only fellowship of its kind in the entire UC system, focused on communicating science to the public. We need more programs like this, focused on educating the public and training scientists to be better communicators,” said Brandon.
She was joined by fellow panelists David Kay, Chair, National Extension Climate Initiative, and Senior Extension Associate, Department of Global Development, CALS, Cornell University, NY; Marissa Staffen, Associate Professor – County Extension, Rutgers University, NJ; and James Shope, PhD, Assistant Extension Specialist in Climate Services, Rutgers University, NJ.