DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa is a leader in producing renewable energy and now teachers and other educators can learn about renewable fuels like ethanol through a new graduate course offered by the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation.

The online course will offer two graduate credits from Drake University, Morningside University or Viterbo University through AEA PD Online. The course, Renewable Energy from Agriculture and the Science of Sustainability, will begin February 20, 2017 and run through April 30, 2017. It will train teachers to apply STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts in their classrooms. The course is targeted toward middle and high school science teachers and agriculture teachers, but is open all teachers interested in the subject or interested in expanding their science base. The course is also being offered for teacher license renewal credit.

“Educators will walk away from this course with a strong understanding of agriculture’s role in providing renewable energy,” said course instructor, Will Fett. “Wind, solar, and biomass energy all have big potential in helping meet our energy demands.”

The course is based on energy and agriculture lessons that were developed through a partnership with the Iowa Energy Center. The curriculum utilizes resources from the National FFA Organization, the Renewable Fuels Association, and other sources. Upon completion of the course, participants will have access to 20 lesson plans targeted to high school students that they can immediately begin using with their students.

Educators interested in signing up for the class can find the registration information in the AEA PD Online professional development catalog online. Space is limited to the first 20 registrations.

— Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation

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