2025 Capital PKAL Meeting Keynote Speaker

Connecting Communities, Classrooms, and Technology in Climate Change Solutions

With 2024 as the hottest year on record, humans are facing unprecedented challenges. Education about our changing climate- causes, mitigation, and adaptation strategies- is a potential solution with ripple effects. Knowledge shared within the space of one classroom can echo among schools, households, and communities. This presentation will feature examples of community-focused endeavors that connect classroom-based instruction with AI and other technologies to amplify solutions. STEM education will be positioned as a lever for innovation.

Keynote Speaker: Lauren Madden

Dr. Lauren Madden is a Professor of Elementary Science Education at The College of New Jersey. She holds a BA in Earth Sciences-Oceanography, MS in Marine Science and PhD in Science Education. Dr. Madden’s work advocates for scientific literacy and the health of our planet through teaching and learning. Her research has been supported by grants from the New Jersey SeaGrant Consortium, National Science Foundation, and US Environmental Protection Agency. She has written a textbook on Elementary Science Teaching Methods along with more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She was named the 2021 Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the Year by the Association for Science Teacher Education and served as the inaugural iCAN STEM Role Model Award by the New Jersey STEM Pathways Network. In recent years, her work has focused directly on K-5 climate change education, and she was the lead author on the New Jersey School Boards’ Association & Sustainable Jersey For Schools’ Report on K-12 Climate Change Education Needs in New Jersey. Her expertise in climate change education in New Jersey has been featured prominently in many media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, NPR, and the Star Ledger.