Brandon Leshchinskiy, a master's student at MIT's prestigious Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Technology and Policy Program, has set an ambitious goal: "to develop AI tools that adapt to climate change and create educational resources to combat it." As part of his graduate thesis, in collaboration with MIT Portugal and EarthDNA—both under the leadership of Dava Newman, the Apollo Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics—Leshchinskiy launched EarthDNA's Ambassadors, an innovative outreach program designed "for the Earth, for future generations."
This groundbreaking initiative aims to empower high school students to become vocal advocates for climate action by harnessing the passion of college students and recent graduates committed to fostering these crucial conversations within their local communities. EarthDNA Ambassadors provides comprehensive resources, including an engaging Climate 101 presentation, professionally crafted email templates, insightful surveys, and additional materials to support these community-based outreach efforts. Leshchinskiy recently shared insights about the program's development and impact.
Q: What motivated you to specifically target college students and recent graduates to participate in educating local high school students about climate change?
A: During my undergraduate studies, I actively participated in numerous STEM outreach initiatives, which gave me firsthand experience with the tremendous energy college students have to give back to their communities. I also discovered the wealth of institutional resources available to support these efforts. College students possess an intrinsic capacity and desire for this type of meaningful work, making them ideal emissaries for our climate education mission.
Climate change has evolved into a significant cultural priority, particularly among younger generations. Recent UN/IPCC reports indicate we have approximately a decade before climate impacts could potentially spiral beyond our control. The younger generation has grown up witnessing the realities of climate change, making us more acutely aware of the urgency. This heightened awareness has led many young people to feel disenfranchised by the status quo, fueling a stronger motivation toward activism and meaningful action.
Furthermore, there exists a natural trust between peers due to our shared experiences and understanding of the high stakes involved. College students and recent graduates can connect with high school students in a more authentic and impactful way, making the climate conversation more relatable and compelling.
Q: Could you describe the process for getting involved with EarthDNA Ambassadors and what types of activities and resources the program offers?
A: Our primary objective is to cultivate a vibrant community among individuals passionate about climate change. To this end, we strongly encourage interested participants to join our Slack community, which serves as the starting point for engagement and collaboration. We share resources that align with our program's three fundamental steps: Reach out, where volunteers establish connections with local high schools interested in hosting presentations; Present, where volunteers prepare and deliver climate education in their chosen classrooms; and Follow up, where volunteers maintain contact with teachers at predetermined intervals—one day, one week, and one month after their presentation—collecting valuable survey data to help us measure and enhance our program's impact.
Our website offers comprehensive training resources and materials for volunteers, including professionally designed email templates for teacher outreach, presentation tips and guidelines, recordings of sample presentations, and detailed instructions for our "Climate 101" presentation and interactive activities.
The educational framework we've developed presents a cohesive narrative that tells the complete story of climate change. Addressing this global challenge requires an interdisciplinary approach, yet there persists a significant misconception that climate education belongs exclusively in science classrooms. While science classes are undoubtedly crucial for climate education, history teachers can provide valuable context on humanity's historical relationship with our planet. Visual arts instructors can facilitate community dialogues that capture our profound connection to Earth's climate. Additionally, since climate monitoring heavily relies on data analysis, climate education has a rightful place in computer science and mathematics classes as well. In the social sciences, climate change represents a complex economic challenge. Traditional economic models assume continuous growth, yet they compete against the physical realities of finite resource limitations—a conflict where physics inevitably prevails. To effectively address climate change, we must integrate all these perspectives into a comprehensive narrative.
Q: What are your long-term aspirations for this program?
A: Our overarching mission is to expand access to comprehensive climate literacy. People naturally filter information through their personal values, ideologies, and experiences. However, implementing the systemic changes required to address climate change will necessitate some level of government intervention—a prospect that makes some citizens uncomfortable. Research shows that parents generally trust their children, so by empowering adolescents to discuss climate change's impacts on their lives, we can help initiate conversations that might not otherwise occur. One of the key questions in our follow-up survey tracks how frequently participants discuss climate change each week. Ultimately, we aim to facilitate thousands of climate conversations that might never have happened without our program, gradually shifting the cultural conversation and building momentum for meaningful action.
