Article by Chet Arnold Contact Juliana Barrett, Associate Extension Educator, Connecticut Sea Grant, Groton, CT juliana.barrett@uconn.edu 860-405-9106 Bruce Hyde, Assistant Extension Educator, Middlesex County Extension Center bruce.hyde@uconn.edu 860-345-5229 climate.uconn.edu Extension faculty are leading a collaborative new program focused on the impact of climate change on Connecticut communities. The UConn Climate Corps will bring together undergraduates enrolled in environmental majors with town officials, to the benefit of both groups. The program is supported for three years by a competitive grant from the UConn Provost’s Office, in support of the Academic Plan goals of Excellence in Undergraduate Education and Public Engagement. Students at the University are increasingly interested in the topic of climate change, that many feel is the environmental issue of our time. At the same time, many communities across Connecticut are struggling with how to adapt to climate change, and how to mar- shal the resources needed to do so. To address these complementary needs, Extension faculty associated with the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) have developed the Climate Corps, a new multi-departmental collaboration at UConn that will combine classroom instruction and service learning to create a unique assistance program for Connecticut communities. Students in the Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, and Environmental Engineering majors will be recruited for the program, that consists of a class during the fall semester and in- the-field work with town officials during the following spring semester. The class, Climate Resilience and Adaptation: Municipal Policy and Planning, will first be offered in the fall semester of 2017-2018 academic year and will focus on local, practical issues and impacts arising from climate change. Extension’s Juliana Barrett will lead the course but will be team-taught by Climate Corps team members and outside experts. “This course is not so much about the physical science of climate change as it is about local policy responses,” says Barrett. “In order for the students to really understand how climate change can affect local policies and opera- tions, they have to have a firm grasp on how decisions Climate Corps, Harnessing the Power of Students 8 2016 HIGHLIGHTS OF EXTENSION