Frederic Bertley of COSI On 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About Sustainability And The Environment
Teachers can teach environmental and sustainable matters as a regular part of their curriculum. Whether you are a science teacher, math teacher or social studies teacher, examples and assignments can be centered around the topics of environmental stewardship and climate science.
As part of my series about what we must do to inspire the next generation about sustainability and the environment, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Frederic Bertley.
Dr. Frederic Bertley is a Canadian immunologist and science educator. He is currently the President & CEO of COSI (Center of Science and Industry), a science museum in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to COSI, Dr. Bertley worked as Senior Vice President for Science and Education at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in Montreal, Canada. My mom was from Barbados and my dad was from Trinidad and Tobago. They left the islands to attend university in Montreal and have stayed there since. I am the last of four children (in fact I am the “oops’’ baby’s younger brother…). I attended French elementary school, English high school and then completed my undergraduate and doctoral degrees in mathematics, physiology and the history of science, and immunology, respectively, both from McGill University.
Was there an “aha moment” or a specific trigger that made you decide you wanted to become a scientist? Can you share that story with us?
When I was a young boy, I was disenchanted with the fact that my Coleco Head-to-Head Football video game breezed through batteries, and I would often be left with a powerless game. I ingeniously, or so I thought, figured out a solution — I cut the cord off of an old lamp, attached it to the red and black wires in the game’s battery chamber and “voila” the best 10 seconds of my life. The “engineering” worked and the video game came alive enabling me to play continuously without the need to get batteries from my local Radio Shack.
But by the eleventh second, the game literally blew up and the outlet was charred and smokey. To be sure, I was devastated that I fried my precious hand-held video game that I begged my parents for months to purchase. Simultaneously, however, I realized that this thing called “electricity” which we took for granted, was way more interesting than just flicking a light switch or plugging something into an outlet. Instead, there was this magical stuff happening behind the wall — and that got me curious about the natural world and the wonders of science and its cousin, engineering. From that time I became obsessed with figuring out “how” something worked or “why’ did such and such happen in nature. The next evolution of this unending curiosity was to academically pursue science.
Is there a lesson you can take out of your own story that might inspire a young person to pursue a career in science?
I have a saying that science is everywhere and science is for everyone — my video game fiasco is just one example of the definitive proof of this grand proclamation. Moreover, the universe is infinitely grand, and there is always something novel, something interesting, and something “out there” to be discovered and better understood. In addition, because of the unlimited things to figure out or discover, there is an inherent job security built in.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you and COSI are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
Our mission at COSI is to engage, inspire and transform lives and communities by being the best partner in science, technology, and industry learning. We take the term “partnership” extremely seriously as it allows us the opportunity to have a broader and deeper impact with our initiatives. For example:
We partner with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Lake Erie Commission and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, along with the Ohio State University to create programmatic initiatives which culminate in the celebration of Earth Day every April. These initiatives include hands-on-interactive demonstrations that showcase the impact of pollution, greenhouse gasses, runoff, wildfire expansion, coral bleaching and other examples of climate change activity. Many of these initiatives are implemented at various times throughout the academic year in middle and high schools in Ohio.
Our annual COSI Science Festival is a four-day celebration of science in over 20 communities throughout central Ohio. It is the largest STEM event in the state and is made possible because of the over 200 partners we work with to demonstrate a wide range of science topics, including climate change, outside of traditional education spaces. We show up in community centers, YMCAs, city parks, neighborhoods, companies, libraries, restaurants, bars, religious institutions and many other for-profit and non-profit institutions and bring science and engineering to them — wherever they “live, learn, and lounge.”
We have a 30-minute prime-time television show with PBS called QED with Dr. B. where I interview experts in a myriad of fields but make the content and conversation accessible to a wide range of audience members and we’ve produced a couple of shows on climate science. We also have an animated series called Dr. B. in 3 where we break down scientific concepts in 3–5 minute short videos.
In partnership with several organizations, such as the EPA, NOAA, USDoE, the Columbus Zoo and others, we have created the COSI Connects STEAM Kit Series, with each kit containing 5 hands-on activities for students in elementary, middle and high school. Many of these kits have activities that highlight environmental or sustainability matters.
Can you share 3 lifestyle tweaks that the average person can make to be more sustainable or help address the climate change challenge?
While there are some lifestyle tweaks that the average person can do which can be helpful, it is important to understand and appreciate that such efforts alone will not address the issue around sustainability and climate change. Big corporations that contribute to greenhouse gasses need to do their share to reduce their detrimental emissions and participate in the “sustainability solution”. With that as a preface, here are a few things that the “average person” can do:
Better insulate your home. This will reduce the amount of energy you will use to heat or cool your home.
Use faucets and shower heads that reduce the water flow, as well as turn off water sources when you are not literally using the water source (e.g. washing hands, face, dishes, watering gardens, etc.)
Replace conventional light bulbs with LEDs. They require, in general, less energy and they can last significantly longer than conventional light bulbs.
The youth-led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. In your opinion, what are 5 things parents, schools, and other institutions should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.
Parents can support their children as they develop interest in sustainability and the environmental movement. And can model behaviors described above in #5 to show young people that the matter is serious and will take all of us to contribute.
Teachers can teach environmental and sustainable matters as a regular part of their curriculum. Whether you are a science teacher, math teacher or social studies teacher, examples and assignments can be centered around the topics of environmental stewardship and climate science.
Teachers and schools can also support extracurricular activities and school clubs around environmental causes, sustainability issues and climate science.
School athletics should be tied to environmental causes, sustainability best practices and an awareness and connection to athletics, health and wellness, nutrition and the impact of sports on the environment. The amount of disposable food and beverages, containers, equipment, water usage and more is extremely high. A collective effort across K-12 and college athletics around sustainability best practices would have an incredible physical and educational impact.
How might a business become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Firstly, businesses, alongside other entities, need to appreciate that the data is clear and that climate change is real. Any business that leads the way in developing products that align better with the environment and lead to better sustainable processes, will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Tesla is a great example — neither Elon Musk nor Tesla invented the electric car, Tesla was just one of the first companies to go “all in”. As of May 2024, Tesla’s market cap is $557.05 billion — that is literally more than half a trillion dollars! Now, almost every single automotive company has or is developing an electric vehicle.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Firstly, my parents were my best role models and provided me, along with all three of my siblings, incredible experiences, and support, as well as instilled in us a conviction that we can achieve whatever aspirational heights we had. Outside of my family, I have been fortunate to have a few academic mentors, who provided incredible opportunities in my scientific explorations as well as afforded me the chance to travel internationally and live in some truly amazing countries. This international experience significantly helped broaden my worldview, increase my understanding of our beloved planet, and better appreciate all the inhabitants on it.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be?
Considering this question more of a “thought experiment” or “blue sky vision”, I would found and activate the Re-Imagined Education, Affirming our Differentiated Youth (READY) Program:
Merge traditional K-12 and college educational system with a focused real life, immersive, hands-on and group work series of building and developing experiences.
Make travel to international settings a requirement at several levels along the K-12 and college continuum to ensure wordily experiences for our educated youth and young adults.
Make education a right and not a privilege. Evidence abounds that a healthy society is built on the souls and backs of an educated citizenry. As such, READY, i.e. our educational system from K-12 and college would be free to the student, paid for by the federal government.
I did say this was a thought experiment…
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
“The man who is right is a majority. He who has God and conscience on his side, has a majority against the universe.” — Frederick Douglass
This quote has been very relevant in my life as sometimes one is faced with tough decisions. These decisions sometimes might not be popular, they may not be shared by a majority or even a plurality or they may even strongly “go against the grain,” BUT if it is the right decision to make, if it is the right thing to do, sometimes you just have to go for it and be comfortable knowing that you are going with your conscience and that God (however defined for you) is on your side.
Another quote I truly appreciate is: “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson
This quote is pretty self-explanatory and has been very helpful in getting the public to better understand climate change.
What is the best way for people to continue to follow your work online?
https://www.fredericbertley.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederic-bertley/
https://twitter.com/FredericBertley
This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Frederic Bertley of COSI On 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About Sustainability… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.