Wiley Students Watch Documentary about Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon

On Friday, Feb. 26, Michelle Klosterman, a board member of the Wake Forest University Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CEES) and Sarah DuPont, a CEES fellow, joined students at Wiley Magnet Middle School for a screening of the movie River of Gold.

DuPont, who is president and founder of the Amazon Aid Foundation, produced the award-winning documentary, which chronicles the impact of illegal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon. Its goal is to educate students and create awareness of the importance of the Amazon rainforest and the global effects caused by its destruction. CEES director Miles Silman, a tropical conservation specialist and expert on the Amazon, also served as a consultant for the film.

When asked about why she created the film, DuPont noted that, “The goal of Amazon Aid's film River of Gold is to not only educate audiences of all ages about the importance of the Amazon, but to inspire people to engage in long-term solutions for protecting this critical ecosystem. It is knowledge that gives you power. People often ask me what gives me hope. For me, it is the youth of the world, our future leaders, who not only have great skills for collaboration and problem solving, but can also think with their heart, carrying the capabilities for compassion to all living beings.”

Following the screening, Klosterman and DuPont answered questions about the Amazon and the Amazonian Center for Environmental Restoration and Sustainability (ACERS). CEES is partnering with the United States and Peruvian governments to create and implement ACERS to address the human ecological disaster caused by the illegal gold mining. Klosterman, a specialist in education and scientific communication, is leading the efforts of ACERS alongside Silman and Stanford colleague Luis Fernandez.

Klosterman, who also serves as Director of Academic Development and Assessment in the Provost Office for Global Affairs, shared the importance of building awareness of global scientific issues among adolescents, “We know that students’ attitudes toward and interest in science are developed at a very young age. We also know that with challenges like we’re seeing in the Amazon, we need long-term solutions that require us to engage the younger generation. That’s why it’s so important for scientists and artists like Sarah DuPont to collaborate to build global awareness among teens.”

Wiley Magnet Middle School uses a STEAM educational approach that combines the core subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics for guiding students’ curriculum. Principal Lisa Bodenheimer and Assistant Principal Leigh Walters agree that "STEAM has provided educators with the opportunity to assist students to make interdisciplinary and global connections using the design process of imagining, planning, creating, and improving the world through inquiry. What a wonderful illustration of the design process in action and at work through today's presentation."