The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual event, The Future of Sustainability Education on Wednesday, April 28 from 10:00 am to 11:40 am EDT. The session was held as part of Nobel Prize Summit: Our Planet, Our Future.

This event highlighted the findings and recommendations from the recent National Academies report, Strengthening Sustainability Programs and Curricula at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels with a focus on the future of sustainability education. The report provides expert insights for strengthening the emerging discipline of sustainability in higher education in the United States. Presentations and facilitated discussion examined the role of universities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), digital learning opportunities and student engagement, and the critical need to build a K-12 pipeline to higher education.

A video of all the sessions can be accessed below. The final agenda and speaker biographies are available in the meeting materials section.

Agenda
Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 10:00 am to 11:40 am EDT

Welcome
Marcia McNutt (NAS), National Academy of Sciences
Vaughan Turekian, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Opening Remarks
Marilu Hastings, Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

Overview of the National Academies report, Strengthening Sustainability Programs and Curricula at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels
Anne Kapuscinski, University of California, Santa Cruz

Panel: The Future of Sustainability Education
Moderator: Arun Agrawal (NAS), University of Michigan
Panelists: Sajitha Bashir, The World Bank; Dan Higgins, Ernst & Young Global Ltd; Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; Jeffrey Sachs (NAM), Sustainable Development Solutions Network; Ellen Stofan, Smithsonian Institution; and Zohra Yermeche, Ericsson
Special Dialogue
Sir Richard Roberts, New England BioLabs, Inc. (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1993)