Science Insight: Science teachers talk environment at Downers Grove North’s Climate of HOPE Conference – Shaw Local – Explained

Downers Grove resident and Naperville North High School biology and chemistry teacher Katharine Lynch didn’t have to teach on Feb. 27 but she still spent the day in school.

Lynch joined about 500 middle- and high school science teachers at Downers Grove North High School for a professional development event that focused climate change and the environment.

Lynch attended the event in 2024 and returned this year because “I liked how the spin of climate change wasn’t detrimental. It was hopeful.”

“There was a feeling that yes, this is bad, but there is hope,” she added.

Erich Osterberg, professor of earth science at Dartmouth University, who kicked off the 2026 Climate of HOPE Conference, agreed stating, “I am hopeful.”

“We are already experiencing the effects of climate change. We have been for a couple of decades, and those effects are going to continue,” said Osterberg, who has dedicated his entire career to studying climate change.

But Osterberg hasn’t let the effects of climate change deter him or his positive attitude.

“The vibe I am going for here is we can do this,” he said.

Repeating a phrase he tells his students “We broke this and we can fix this.”

The daylong event brought together climate and conservation research, community outreach efforts and classroom-ready activities for science teachers.

Organized by the science teachers of Downers Grove North, the event included more than 70 breakout sessions and featured scientists from the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum.

Representatives from local forest preserves, nonprofits and municipalities also presented information about navigating a changing climate locally and how these entities can aid teachers in their classrooms.

Lynch attended a session conducted by Downers Grove Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Jason Michnick, who described how the village has supported sustainability.

In this session, Lynch said she learned about resources she could use in her classroom to highlight issues related to the environment where her students live.

Herrick Middle School science teacher Jill Henry, who also attended the 2024 event said, “It is so inspiring to be around other educators who also have a similar passion.”

Henry attended the session on Downers Grove’s efforts to support sustainability and came away inspired.

“I already have ideas how we can turn the things that we do into a local connection,” she said.

High school student volunteers helped out at the event by checking in teachers and directing them through the hallways to specific classrooms.

Downers Grove North senior Maria Gouriotis, who is interested in a career in biology, volunteered for the event because it was a “great opportunity to learn.”

Rose Jones, a junior at Downers Grove North who hopes to study environmental science and sustainability in college, said she volunteered because “I thought this would be a good opportunity to learn and help out.”

During the interactive lunch session, which included more than 20 science-related vender booths, Jones first learned about Greener Grove, a Downers Grove nonprofit group aimed at creating a more environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly future.

Another popular vender booth and presentation included representatives from U.S. National Science Foundation Ice Drilling Program.

Elliot Moravec, who is with the program, demonstrated how an ice drill works.

Moravec explained that ice drills are used in Antarctica and Greenland to drill into glaciers to collect samples to provide clues to past climates in the regions.

Downers Grove North science teacher Jeff Grant helped organize the event in 2024 because he and several other science teachers were seeking a good option to learn about science on the countywide institute day.

Miranda Waldman, a middle school science and math teacher at Prairie School of DuPage, a nature-based pre-kindergarten through 8^th grade independent school in Wheaton, said the event had so many options for learning it was hard to choose which sessions to attend.

“There has been a bunch of really interesting things,” Waldman said.

With her students, Waldman said, she completed an educational series about acorns.

However, after a presentation about bur oaks offered by staff from Morton Arboretum at the conference, she said, “I am taking something I taught before and adding more depth.”