127. Inspiring the Next Generation of Solar Solutionaries

We Share Solar's mission is to equip teachers to inspire the next generation of Solar Solutionaries™. Building on the successes of the original Solar Suitcase, We Share Solar (WSS) is proud to announce a new program model and improved hands-on experience for youth. The Solar Suitcase Learning Kit is a stand-alone solar system that has been designed specifically for teaching and learning.When students in the US participate in a We Share Solar program at their school they will also be connected to an international deployment of a Solar Suitcase to a community in an energy scarce region of the world such as rural areas of Kenya or Uganda. Included with the curriculum materials will be information about the linked deployment including photos of installation and use of the Solar Suitcase.Our speaker, Anna Gomberg, is a passionate Oakland (California) Unified School District veteran Environmental Science teacher, and has played a key role in both the creation of We Share Solar's classroom curriculum and professional development workshop content. She has worked with researchers at the Lawrence Hall of Science to develop curriculum and teach for the National Science Foundation-funded EPICC and YESS programs which both aimed to investigate ways of promoting STEM career opportunities and interest for low income youth of color using the Solar Suitcase as a key component. As Senior Program Manager for Solar Education at We Share Solar she is keen to expand access to the inspiring hands-on; climate justice and globally minded opportunities the curriculum provides. Anna grew up in the UK where she studied Materials Science at Oxford University as an undergraduate and remained to complete a Masters in Engineering (MEng); she then went on to train as a teacher at the University of London Institute of Education where she received a second Masters in Teaching (MTeach).To learn more, go to the We Share Solar website:https://www.wesharesolar.org