| April 22, 1970 catalyzed the modern environmental movement when Earth Day was first observed. For 50 years, concerned activists worldwide have been working to protect the planet, and benefit all life upon it. This year, AAVS is also celebrating 30 years since we launched our humane science education program, Animalearn. For the past three decades, Animalearn has been enlightening the public about the unnecessary use of animals in science class curricula, and promoting hundreds of amazing alternatives that can be used instead. These efforts also have a positive environmental impact. In this time of crisis, educators and students are adapting to overcome the unprecedented challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Remote learning has become the new normal, and with traditional animal dissection not being an option, alternative methods are being more widely adopted in virtual classrooms all over the country. Dissection alternatives result in learning outcomes that equal or surpass traditional dissection, and also allow students to learn without exposure to hazardous chemicals. Animalearn has compiled a comprehensive list of online science resources to enable students to learn at home without the use of animal specimens, and also assist teachers who traditionally conduct dissection labs at this time. Animalearn’s 2019 Humane Student of the Year, Indigo Prasad, recently checked in to let us know that she is working with her science teacher to offer a virtual dissection experience for her class using frog models from our partner companies, SynDaver and Rescue Critters. If you are interested in accessing Animalearn's online resources, or if you want to share them with a teacher or student in your community, please visit the links below. By promoting humane education, you are supporting compassionate learning experiences for students, and also saving animals like frogs, pigs and cats, who are sacrificed for archaic dissection exercises. Thank you! |
