Hitchcock Center for the Environment

The Hitchcock Center for the Environment will partner with Massachusetts Public Schools to develop a new program that focuses on using an engineering design challenge approach to build STEM capacity in a large, underserved urban school district. Project activities will include developing and implementing experiential learning in classrooms through school-based design challenges and creating professional training and mentoring support for each teacher participating in the program. The museum will schedule field trips for participating classrooms to its “living building,” a net zero energy facility that harvests and recycles its own water, uses composting toilets, and was constructed with responsibly sourced, nontoxic materials. The project will enhance materials and curriculum for participating schools and encourage students and teachers to explore the intersections of engineering, technology and design and their role in addressing environmental challenges that confront society.