Five local teachers will bring to their fall classrooms new knowledge on biodiversity, ecology and environmental studies from the Smithsonian Institute and the Keystone Center, courtesy of The Dow Chemical Company.

As a sponsor of the Smithsonian Science Education Academies for Teachers, Dow gave full scholarships to three teachers to help them improve their quality of science instruction.

Patrick Oliver of Mt. Diablo High School and Bonnie Berquist of Bidwell High School spent a week studying Ecological Field Studies at the Smithsonian Conservation and Research Center and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.

"It was an amazing experience," said Oliver. "I learned many field research techniques for studying trees, vegetation, small mammals and birds - much of which will be directly applied to my AP Environmental Science and Biology classes."

Two teachers from Antioch were sponsored to attend the Keystone Center's Key Issues Institute in Colorado, an interdisciplinary training for middle-level educators to help guide students through an investigation of all sides of an environmental issue. Liz Ritchie of Park Middle School and Brian Cohen of Dallas Ranch Middle School both took the experience to heart.