2020 Brain Conference Registration |
2020 Community Conference on the Brain
Thursday, April 16th, 2020
3:15pm - 8:30pm
Willmar High School
"Finding Balance: Connecting Your Brain with Nature" featuring keynote speaker Julie Athman Ernst, Ph.D.
Dr. Ernst earned her Ph.D. at the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, with an emphasis in environmental education research and evaluation. She formerly served as an education specialist for the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as a public affairs specialist for the USDA Forest Service. Her interest are program evaluation, environment-based education (environmentally-based formal instructional programs), early childhood EE/nature play and federal agency EE programs.
Keynote Address:
“Flourishing in Nature: The Nurturing Effects of Nature on Children’s Well-Being and Well-Becoming” Why does this matter? What are our aims for children? What indicators are we seeing at a societal level that suggest children may not be flourishing? Dr. Ernst will cover nature preschools, school settings, after-school settings, nature playscapes and more. She will discuss the role of nature as a third educator, and the role of nature alongside the role of unstructured play and the integral role of the adult.