Educating Educators on Technology and Climate Resilience for the Caribbean Classroom

In February 2025, our firm had the honor of participating in the 2nd Congreso de Educación Ambiental, Cambio Climático y Desarrollo Sostenible (2nd Congress on Environmental Education, Climate Change and Sustainable Development), hosted by the University of Puerto Rico’s Faculty of Education. Representing our team, Environmental Engineer and CIAPR Commission President Hanna K. Rodríguez Morales led an engaging session titled:

“Innovación Tecnológica y Adaptación al Cambio Climático: Oportunidades y Retos para Puerto Rico y el Caribe.”
“Technological Innovation and Adaptation to Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.”

🎯 The goal: To empower Puerto Rico’s K-12 educators with real-world tools and examples that can inspire environmental awareness and climate resilience in their classrooms.​
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From Google Earth Timelapse to NOAA storm imagery and platforms like EPA’s MyEnvironment, the session bridged engineering expertise with accessible teaching strategies. Participants explored how artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and supercomputing are already being used to model hurricanes, monitor coastal erosion, and evaluate infrastructure vulnerabilities — all with implications for science, geography, and civics education in our archipelago.

Key highlights from the presentation included:

• 🛰️ Using satellite imagery to reflect on post-hurricane impacts.
• 🔍 STEM projects around temperature changes and air quality.
• 🌱 Exploring how AI and renewable energy fit into lessons on sustainable development.
• 🔧Ideas for drone-based environmental monitoring and community modeling.

Educators walked away with strategies to integrate climate data, spatial tools, and innovative technologies into their daily teaching, aligned with UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development goals.
💡As engineers committed to advancing education and environmental resilience, the CHESIEMES Team believes in educating educators — because building climate-ready communities starts in the classroom.

As always, we appreciate the opportunities to expand our reach and share knowledge, in this case we acknowledge Ricardo Arzuaga Chaves, Executive Director, UNA-USA Puerto Rico, and Keyla Soto Hidalgo, MSEM, PhD, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Education Faculty for their consideration and hard work in the Congress.