CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR CARY INSTITUTE OF ECOSYSTEM STUDIES TO START NEW PROGRAM TRAINING TEACHERS FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES, INCLUDING RISE IN LYME DISEASE

Congressman Pat Ryan Announces Funding for Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies to Start New Program Training Teachers from Underserved Communities in Ecological Sciences, Including Rise in Lyme Disease

Ryan announced nearly $600,000 for Institute to start new program that will train teachers in the Hudson Valley and beyond in cutting-edge ecological studies, bolstering the science curriculum in local schools and preparing students for emerging ecological challenges, including rise in Lyme disease

Teachers will have opportunity to contribute to Cary Institute’s renowned research on tick-borne Lyme Disease

MILLBROOK, NY – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan announced the awarding of $599,101 for the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies to start a new program that will equip local and national science teachers with cutting-edge training in ecological sciences. The training will strengthen teacher’s ability to implement comprehensive environmental science curricula and promote ecological literacy in classrooms across the region, giving Hudson Valley students in primarily underserved schools access to top-notch science education. 

“Every Hudson Valley student deserves access to the highest quality education, no matter where they go to school,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “I’m proud that this funding will help the Cary Institute arm our local teachers with the tools to implement top-tier science programs in schools across the Hudson Valley and prepare students for emerging ecological challenges, including the rise of Lyme disease. Investing in our kids is an investment in the future of our community. I will keep pushing to deliver first-class education for every student and teacher in the Hudson Valley.” 

“This new program builds on Cary's 40-year legacy in teacher training,” said Cary ecologist Jane Lucas, who will lead the Cary BIORETS program together with Alan Berkowitz and Rebecca Van Tassell. “By giving teachers authentic summer research experiences, we’re helping them bring inquiry-based learning into the classroom.”

Teachers will have the opportunity to participate in and contribute to Cary’s research programs, including its renowned research on the ecological dimensions of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. For decades, Cary Institute's 2000-acre research campus has been a living lab to explore what regulates blacklegged ticks and the disease they carry. 

The funding was awarded by the National Science Foundation and will allow the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies to fund three cohorts of teachers in its BIORETS program from 2024 through 2027. The first cohort will consist of nine teachers for six weeks in the summer of 2024 and an additional 2.3 weeks during the academic year. The BIORETS program will focus on training teachers from traditionally underserved schools. Teachers will have the opportunity to engage with Cary scientists to produce innovative curricula and classroom instruction plans and contribute to education publications. Applications for teachers interested in participating in the summer 2024 cohort are due by March 15, 2024.

The program aims to address the increasing need for science and environmental literacy in our world and prepare teachers and their students in ecosystem change, transformation, and resilience, the ecology of human well-being, and the function of biodiversity. The program’s model will bring science classrooms in Hudson Valley middle and high schools to the forefront of ecological science, preparing students for emerging environmental challenges, such as the impact of extreme weather events and the rise in Lyme disease cases. 

In the fall of 2023, Congressman Ryan visited the Cary Institute to learn about the Institute’s work combating Lyme disease. Congressman Ryan is a cosponsor of the Stamp Out Lyme Disease Act to increase Lyme disease awareness and funding for research.

Congressman Ryan has made major deliveries for Hudson Valley schools, recently securing $2.5 million for early education programs in Poughkeepsie schools. He cosponsors legislation to provide additional support to Hudson Valley students, including increasing access to school lunches and mental health services. 

Congressman Ryan has prioritized fighting for a cleaner environment for all. He has emphasized the opportunities that green jobs, manufacturing, and infrastructure projects present for economic development in the Hudson Valley and has signed on to legislation to create these job sources for current and future generations. He has already secured major grants for infrastructure projects that improve climate resilience in the Hudson Valley, including nearly $4 million for Riverkeeper to remove the crumbing Holden Dam on the Quassaick Creek in Newburgh, $1 million for Port Jervis to employ youths to form a Green Tree Corps and $528,600 for Kingston to expand its urban forestry staffing. 

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