Dear Friends,
Shirley Hamilton Hartman
Folks ask me all the time – what is the Beacon Institute; what do you guys do?
When I joined the Beacon Institute 2 ½ years ago, I would start with the facts. I’d explain that we are an environmental research institute dedicated to the understanding and protection of rivers and estuaries. I would add that we were founded in 2003 and have already launched programs in research, education, and policy. Sometimes I stated our mission: to create and maintain a global center for scientific and technological innovation that advances research, education and public policy regarding rivers and estuaries.
Are your eyes glazing over? I am so enthusiastic about our mission yet I realized quickly that something was missing in the translation. After all, I’m a liberal arts graduate and hardly a technology geek – why is this stuff so interesting to me?
And then it occurred to me – I was talking about our programs in formal, esoteric terms. I mean, did anyone really care if I knew the names of all the sensors that we use in our deployments? I was relating to our programs on a personal level but the language I used to describe them was totally academic. So, in preparing this annual year-end appeal, I thought about what I would want to hear as a donor who wants to make an impact and be inspired, not as the Chief Development Officer with a briefcase full of details.
Beacon Institute’s work revolves around three core issues: Research and Technology, Education, and Public Policy. Think of it as a three-legged stool with a round top; each leg not only supports the work of the others but also advances and informs them.
Our core project is REON – the River and Estuary Observatory Network. Right now we are deploying sensors in the Hudson and St. Lawrence Rivers that are completely new in the world of river research. IBM will be finalizing the computer infrastructure that will virtually link each sensor to the others so that our technology will literally be able to “talk.” Information from one sensor will be used to tell other sensors what to look for. For instance, if a sensor north of Poughkeepsie identifies dangerous bacteria, it can warn sensors down river to look for this bacteria when the tide is going out and warn sensors up river when the tide is coming in! All of these sensors can then transmit an early warning to swimmers and public water supplies about an imminent threat. Most importantly, the sensors can trace the presence of the bacteria to determine where it came from. And this is all done in real time and in seconds – not hours or days. Once REON is fully functional in the Hudson River we can pick this system up and bring it anywhere in the world. Think about what that means for people in developing countries where hundreds of children die each day from bad water because they didn’t know not to drink it.
As a donor to Beacon Institute this is what you are helping to create.
Our education programs include public outreach events at the Gallery or at CEIE on Denning’s Point. If you’ve shared your email with us then you receive the weekly updates about what’s happening. However, our core education program seeks to create the next generation of tech savvy workers by increasing the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills and interests of today’s students.
This summer we will run the second season of SENSE IT – our teacher training and curriculum delivery program that infuses middle and high school math and science classes with a segment where students build and deploy their own environmental sensors. In the first season, students and teachers across the state came together in three regional sessions to build, deploy and collect data from a sensor that measured temperature. This year, teachers and students will create depth sensors.
Each of these sensors was created by a REON engineer with the criteria to make it work, to make it cost effective and to make it possible for students to re-recreate the technology. Our engineers have designed a sensor that can be built for under $15.
Making a gift to Beacon Institute can help excite a child about a future in science or engineering.
The use of technology in monitoring and understanding our waterways creates a new generation of public policy. Imagine the power of determining who is polluting our waters as it happens. The application of technology redefines the enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Imagine being able to tell a power plant in real time when fish are migrating in their area so that they can react and limit kills. Technology creates a new paradigm for how we interact with the natural world and how we can limit our impacts intelligently.
This in turn transforms our public policy from reactive to proactive.
Research and Technology, Education, and Public Policy are the core issues that Beacon Institute brings to bear on the Hudson, St. Lawrence and rivers and estuaries around the world. It’s serious work with real and very meaningful outcomes. Our partners include Clarkson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Pace University and IBM. But our most important partners are the individual donors who are looking for a new and exciting way to make a difference to our natural world.
Our CEO John Cronin says that the 20th Century was the era of environmental brawn but the 21st Century is going to be the era of environmental brains. This is at the heart of why I not only work for Beacon Institute but personally support its programs. If you’re ready to make a change, to find solutions to our environmental challenges – most notably water – then join me in making a fiscal year end gift to Beacon Institute.
Your tax-deductible gift will be one of the most rewarding investments that you make.
Sincerely,
Shirley Hamilton Hartman
Chief Development Officer
Do you want to make a gift of appreciated stock? Call me at (518) 273-3215 and I’ll guide you through our simple transfer process!
Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
