Here are some Climate and Sustainability Education experiences from our faculty members:
Dr. Yaw Delali Bensah (Materials Science & Engineering)
Dr. Bensah dedicates parts of his lectures in Material Science and Chemistry to addressing topics around waste minimization, reduction, and recycling in materials processing. In his graduate course co-taught with ETH Zurich faculty, he focuses on alternative materials that are less toxic and generate less waste. This semester, he’s supervising students on two climate-focused projects: biodiesel production from palm kernel oil (with significantly lower emissions than fossil fuels) and glass recycling for geotechnical construction applications. He’s working to make these climate connections more explicit in his syllabi going forward.
Mr. Nii-Tete Yartey (Dance & Performance)
Nii-Tete teaches climate education through traditional Ghanaian dance forms . He explains how indigenous practices embedded conservation wisdom —taboos about farming or fishing on certain days were actually about giving nature time to regenerate. He plans to assign creative projects like video challenges where students communicate climate themes through dance, providing embodied learning through climate communication.
Dr. Sampson Dankyi Asare (Computer Science – Algorithms)
Dr. Asare integrates climate education differently across his courses. In Modeling & Simulation, students work with climate data using Python, visualizing effects, and run ecosystem simulations. In Algorithms, where foundational concepts are the priority, he includes climate-related options among final projects; this semester, 2-3 of 20 projects centered on weather and climate. He incorporates climate applications when teaching concepts like the traveling salesman problem, connecting route optimization to fuel efficiency and emissions. Next year, he plans to increase climate project options to at least 5.
Key Patterns
Faculty are delivering climate education through:
(1) dedicated course content on climate and sustainability principles.
(2) hands-on projects addressing real climate challenges.
(3) explicit connections between disciplinary concepts and climate applications.
(4) diverse pedagogical approaches—from embodied learning through performing arts to data modeling and simulation.
