Conservation Education Program

CRES is dedicated to motivating people to protect and nurture biodiversity through innovative conservation education in San Diego County and around the world. CRES encourages local community involvement in conservation endeavors by partnering with local schools and participating in programs such as BEWiSE, Upward Bound, Zoo InternQuest, and Conservation Corps. CRES’ programs for postdoctoral researchers, university students, and regional scientists from around the globe allow ambitious biologists at all levels to obtain real-world experience in conservation research. The global outreach work of CRES promotes sustainable use of natural resources and habitat conservation in diverse communities worldwide.

CRES recently took its commitment to conservation education to the next level with the dedication of the Conservation Education Laboratory, a full-service research lab where students and teachers learn firsthand about the techniques CRES scientists utilize in conserving endangered species of plants and animals. CRES is developing of an archive of hands-on science activities for the lab that will allow students from kindergarten to graduate school to experience firsthand the conservation science taking place everyday in the research laboratories at the Beckman Center. CRES is also developing remote learning capabilities in the lab in order to share conservation research with diverse learning communities around the world. In the future, students and teachers will have the opportunity to engage in conservation endeavors firsthand at remote CRES research sites around the world, uniting their work in the lab with efforts in the field. CRES is dedicated to inspiring communities to value biodiversity by enhancing science literacy and by connecting students and teachers to the science of saving species.