This 10-part webinar series ran on the 2nd Friday of each month from September 2021 to June 2022 to help viewers learn how the science behind school buildings supports student, educator, and staff health, safety, and success. Each webinar is 45 minutes long, with 30 minutes of expert presentations followed by 15 minutes of participant Q&A.
A school building is a system. The proper materials, design, construction and maintenance of the system's components are critical to the success and health of its students, teachers, and staff. In this series, we will discuss how the physical building works and why building science is so useful to understand, so that practitioners and school staff can make good decisions about capital improvements and healthy, safe operations.
What's in a name? We're paying homage to the Science Friday public radio show and promoting Fridays as a great day to learn about school building science. We want to elevate the topic of building science to the school sector where we don't hear enough people talking about it, and we specifically want to get people talking and thinking about school building science. (By the way, the Science Friday team has great educational content on all sorts of scientific topics. Check it out at https://www.sciencefriday.com/.)
What's School Building Science? We have created two definitions, one formal and comprehensive and the other to capture what is most basic and important:
- The body of knowledge that informs the design, construction, operations, and occupancy of school buildings for the benefit of students, educators, staff, and the environment.
- The body of knowledge about the built environment that impacts how children learn and thrive.
What will you get out of it? The series is for designers, engineers, contractors, school staff, vendors, students, and anyone who supports schools. The sessions are ideal for young professionals and anyone newly working with schools. The sessions will also be great for high school students looking to expand their understanding of healthy, green schools. Each session is like a snack of information and not a 4 course meal, but it will provide a foundation for better understanding. We will cover the physical science behind school buildings, the role of building standards and codes, and how building science is used to make occupants happier and more comfortable. You will learn how the science pertains to you and everything you do. Credits: Starting with the January session, viewers who registered and watched through online Sustainability Education partner GBRI were able to earn continuing education credit through AIA.
How to watch: All of our webinar recordings are available to watch via our SBSF Playlist on YouTube. You can learn more about GBRI here.
The 2021-2022 Series:
| September 10 | Intro & Overview: What is School Building Science and What Does It Mean for You? Click for more info | |
| October 8, 2-3pm ET | Ventilation: What You Need to Know Click for more info | |
| November 12 | Green & Safe Cleaning: Why It Works and Why It Matters Click for more info | |
| December 10 | Building Operators as School Building Scientists Click for more info | |
| January 14, 2-3pm | Zero Energy, Zero Carbon & Electrification: Possible and Happening! Click for more details and registration info | |
| February 11 | Calming the School Environment: Creating That Just Right Feeling Click for more info | |
| March 11 | Drinking Water Safety and Overall Health, a presentation by the American Heart Association Click for more info | |
| April 8 | Passive House & Schools Click for more info | |
| May 13 | Equity in Schools: Working towards Restorative Justice Click for more info | |
| June 10 | Healthy Materials for Healthy Schools Click for more info |
Thank you to our 2021-2022 sponsors! Without them, this series would not have been possible.
