The Nurture Nature Center

A significant part of nnc's work consists of social science research conducted in conjunction with national partners, including government agencies, universities, science museums and others. The research focuses on finding The best techniques for communicating about environmental risks and imparting science-based knowledge. Nnc's work in this area also includes follow up to disseminate and help put into practice The research findings. Many of nnc's research projects are focused on developing recommendations for The national weather service (nws) on how to improve The flood and winter forecast products it uses in communications with The public. Nnc helps implement these recommendations by developing educational materials and participating in training with nws nationwide. Continued on schedule o.continued from page 2. One major development in 2022 in this arena was, was a request from The national weather service that nnc carry out a major $1.2 million project related to precipitation and other products of The weather prediction Center. The award proposal was submitted in 2022 and work is slated to begin in 2023. In another major multi-year project, The nsf-funded "building insights through observation: researching arts-based methods for teaching and learning with data", nnc worked during 2022 with a cohort of exceptional teachers from across The country to co-create a new model for teaching data literacy using arts-based methods.

Nnc administers a program known as buy fresh buy local for The lehigh valley (bfbl-glv), which is designed to educate consumers in The lehigh, northampton and berks counties about The benefits of healthy, locally-grown foods, while supporting The farmers and lands that produce them. Nnc's local foods work also seeks to improve food access for low-income neighborhoods and improve The infrastructure for The local food economy. In 2022, nnc's new local foods coordinator finalized and distributed a comprehensive local foods guide and worked on improving The avenues for exchange of education and information with bfbl-glv's more than 90 and growing, retail and institutional local food partners.

At its facility in easton, nnc offers a variety of art and other exhibits and activities designed to foster dialogue about environmental issues. Nnc's permanent exhibits include noaa's acclaimed "science on a sphere," for teaching about earth and space science; an sos explorer touch screen kiosk; a large living local mural incorporating 80 environmental talking points, and an interactive watershed exhibit. In addition to these permanent exhibits, nnc holds rotating art shows on environmental themes with presentations by The artists. It also offers speaking events by educators, films, workshops, and classes on a variety of environmental topics, and maintains an urban garden that it uses for educational purposes. Continued on schedule o.continued from page 2. Outside of its facility, nnc conducts local and regional outreach in many forms, with projects designed to build resilience to environmental hazards. In 2022, nnc completed The core activities of its four-year federally funded create resilience project and released a new science on a sphere film about it, which is now available to The international network of sos locations. In recognition of The project's success, noaa made a new award to nnc in 2022 to establish a permanent create resilience research and community learning hub," focused on promoting youth leadership and community education on weather and climate science, risks from local hazards, and strategies for hazard mitigation. Nnc's community projects during 2022 also included expansion of its watershed-friendly certification program (see https://watershedfriendlypa.org/), and development of a climate action plan for The city of easton.