Buffalo Public Schools aquatic ecology teacher Marcus Rosten has been named an EE 30 Under 30 Award winner, recognized for his excellence at applying environmental education (EE) to build sustainable and equitable communities worldwide. Credit: Laura Rosten.

Contacts:

Monica L. Miles, PhD, NYSG Great Lakes Literacy Educator, E: mlm473@cornell.edu, P: 716-645-3610

Kara Lynn Dunn, NYSG Great Lakes Publicist, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: 315.465.7578

Educator Marcus Rosten, an Aquatic Ecology Teacher from Buffalo Public Schools, will assist NY Sea Grant Youth Education Initiative

Buffalo, NY, October 12, 2020 - The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has named 27-year-old Cheektowaga native and naturalist Marcus Rosten an NAAEE 2020 EE 30 Under 30 Award winner. The annual awards recognize 30 individuals who are applying environmental education (EE) to build sustainable and equitable communities worldwide. Rosten recently joined the Buffalo Public Schools system as an Aquatic Ecology teacher.

NAAEE Executive Director Judy Braus said, “We can’t address today’s complex challenges in an equitable manner without the talent and innovation of diverse cultural backgrounds, perspectives, and disciplines. We are pleased to include Marcus Rosten among the 2020 class of leaders who exemplify the incredible passion, creativity, and impact of young people who are taking action and inspiring others to build a more just and greener future.” 

New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Coastal Literacy Specialist Monica L. Miles, Ph.D., who nominated Rosten for the award, said, “Marcus is an outstanding educator serving the Greater Buffalo Niagara region in areas where high poverty rates have impeded learning opportunities for youth. Of particular note, Marcus expanded the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Young Environmental Leaders Program into Niagara Falls, offering opportunities to explore and expand underserved students’ interest in the STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.” 

Rosten will assist the NYSG “Taking Root: A Meaningful Watershed Experience for Youth in Niagara Falls, New York” project. The two-year project is engaging students and families in local environmental literacy and stewardship activities as part of a $5 million, five-year eeBLUE collaborative partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Education and NAAEE.


Credit: Laura Rosten.

“Marcus makes learning fun and easily shares his knowledge to foster thoughtfulness that encourages educational discovery and leadership that helps build stronger communities,” Miles noted.

Rosten said, “The health of a community is inextricably linked to the health of its waterways and the land use history of the region. I have worked with students suffering from some of the worst environmental injustices to explore hazards and learn progressive restoration solutions, while also exploring potential environmental careers and becoming inspired to serve as stewards of their community. The revival of the Great Lakes is a story that inspires me and one we can all build on for the future.”

Rosten brings a diversity of experiences to his programming. He has worked with the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska, as a Park Ranger in Grand Canyon National Park, a naturalist at Reinstein Wood Nature Preserve, a Community Engagement Coordinator for the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, a program manager with Western New York PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management), and as a Fish and Wildlife Technician for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He is a graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, N.Y. 

The NAAEE EE 30 Under 30 awards are presented with support from the Global Environmental Education Partnership, Wells Fargo, and the U.S. Forest Service.



More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, University at Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly. Our program also produces an occasional e-newsletter,"NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog.