CPES News

UNC dual-degree student teams up with Institute researcher to validate communications strategies to combat climate change in North Carolina

A lifelong resident of Apex, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dual-degree student Jessica Reid watched her community experience rapid growth. Construction made way for new roads, homes, businesses, shopping and everything that comes with an influx of … Continued

The potential of mentorship, Graves and Johnson forge powerful bond

Neasha Graves enthusiastically shows a model of a human airway fashioned from a toilet paper roll, rubber bands and pink and red foam craft sheets to Mitierra Johnson. Graves is simulating a healthy airway and contrasting it with the airway … Continued

UNC Institute for the Environment surpasses $12 million goal in historic Campaign for Carolina

The UNC Institute for the Environment (IE) has surpassed its $12 million campaign goal in Carolina’s campus-wide fundraising campaign. The Campaign for Carolina, launched in 2017, raised a record-setting $5 billion before closing Dec. 31, 2022. In addition to public … Continued

Haine recognized by NCSTA for connecting teachers with latest environmental research

Dana Haine, the K-12 science education manager for the UNC Institute for the Environment’s (IE) Center for Public Engagement with Science (CPES) recently was recognized by the North Carolina Science Teachers Association (NCSTA) with a non-school setting distinguished service award … Continued

Institute awarded $2.3 million from National Science Foundation to implement and study program empowering Latino and Indigenous youth to seek solutions to climate impacts

UNC researchers, collaborators in NC and WA receive funding to engage diverse youth in exploring climate impacts and solutions in their communities. The Center for Public Engagement with Science in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute for … Continued

Haine named Outstanding Informal Educator by RePowering Schools

In May 2022, Dana Haine, K-12 science education manager for the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Center for Public Engagement with Science, was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Informal Educator Award from RePowering Schools. REpowering Schools is a national non-profit organization … Continued

Lincoln County slow to respond to extremely high levels of cancer-causing arsenic in residents’ drinking water (NC Policy Watch | Sept. 9, 2022)

Before Abby and Jason Hollis bought their 1,200-square-foot house on Laboratory Road in rural Lincolnton, the inspector required them to test their drinking water well, a routine step when purchasing a home. Good news: Test results from 2007 showed no … Continued

Robeson County high school students gain experience in geology and marine science through IE’s Summer Geoscience Internship Program

This past summer, high school students from Robeson County spent time on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus to participate in the Summer Geoscience Internship program, a five-week program that allows prospective college students to gain experience in the geosciences. “I was … Continued

Institute launches environmental justice graduate research award; Kryston inaugural recipient

In summer of 2020, the UNC Institute for the Environment reconstituted its diversity, equity and inclusion committee known as the Institute for the Environment’s Inclusion and Equity Committee or IEIE. The group facilitated discussions about what the Institute can do … Continued

MEDIA INVITED: Teachers from NC communities impacted by PFAS contamination to convene at UNC to create health-focused science lessons 

Media invited Eight high school science teachers from five North Carolina counties will convene at UNC June 20-22 to design lessons about an emerging environmental contaminant, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). First developed in the 1950s, PFAS are found in … Continued

IE partners with the Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to engage STEM teachers in learning about chemistry innovations in the energy sector

Fourteen STEM teachers from across North Carolina convened in the Blue Makerspace in Carmichael Residence Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill on April 29 to learn about chemistry innovations in the energy sector from UNC researchers. This workshop was sponsored by IE’s Center … Continued

Kathleen Gray, Ph.D. – Improving Environmental Risk Communication Through Interdisciplinary Collaborations (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences | May 6, 2022)

Kathleen Gray, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) has long held a passion for increasing understanding of environmental exposures in communities affected by contamination. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked with community-based organizations in southern Louisiana … Continued

Educator Spotlight: Megan Rodgers Lane (NC Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs)

Megan Rodgers Lane recently completed her North Carolina Environmental Education Certification. Megan is the public science and internship coordinator for the UNC Institute for the Environment’s (IE) Center forPublic Engagement with Science. “I work on many different projects all with … Continued

Educational tool highlights COVID-19 and arsenic research (Environmental Factor NIEHS | Mar. 2022)

A new online educational resource invites high school students to examine ways that humans are exposed to arsenic and how exposure might influence susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. The tool was developed by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center at … Continued

UNC researchers develop mapping tool to protect populations from environmental chemicals (Gillings School News | Feb. 15, 2022)

NC ENVIROSCAN, a new online interactive mapping tool, helps North Carolina communities increase awareness of key environmental and societal factors that can impact health. Developed through a collaboration between the UNC Superfund Research Program (UNC SRP) and the Institute for … Continued

New grant supports partnership with Durham Public Schools and Museum of Life and Science to develop hands-on STEM activities to engage students in learning about extreme heat 

The Center for Public Engagement with Science (CPES) in the UNC Institute for the Environment (IE), in collaboration with the Community Engagement Core (CEC) of UNC’s NIEHS-funded Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility (CEHS), received one of the first Climate … Continued

A Holiday Message + Year-in-Review from the UNC Institute for the Environment

As we close in on the end of 2021, we reflect on the many accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students. We wish you a restful and happy holiday and very best wishes for the New Year. Please click the … Continued

Now accepting applications for Environmental Justice Graduate Research Scholarship

The UNC Institute for the Environment invites talented graduate students to apply for its Environmental Justice Graduate Research Scholarship to conduct research that broadens the understanding of environmental justice issues impacting communities in North Carolina. Expressions of Interest (EOI) for … Continued

We’re Hiring: Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Center for Public Engagement with Science (CPES) in the UNC Institute for the Environment seeks a postdoctoral scholar to begin February 1, 2022. The CPES partners with UNC faculty and community leaders in North Carolina (NC) to translate environmental … Continued

Geoscience interns explore Battle Park Water Lab (Photo Essay)

Over the summer, students in the Summer Geoscience Internship Program spent time exploring labs and sites around UNC and Chapel Hill, NC for their summer internship experience. Students in this program are from Robeson Early College High School in Robeson County, … Continued

With $1.25 million Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, IE launches Iterative Design to Engage All (IDEA) Learners Program 

First developed in the 1950s, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are found in a variety of household items. They are used to create water-repellant fabrics, non-stick cookware, and a host of other products that repel grease, oil, and water. While … Continued

Is your well water safe to drink? New resource from UNC-Chapel Hill, partners can help you decide

People who rely on private well water in North Carolina have a better chance of learning whether their well water is safe to drink thanks to an initiative of the UNC School of Law Well Water Pro Bono Project, the … Continued

NC Energy Literacy Fellow, Denise Renfro, featured on Soledad O’Brien’s Matter of Fact (Matter of Fact | Nov. 7, 2021)

NC Energy Literacy Fellow, Denise Renfro, is using renewable energy to engage her students in Fayetteville, NC. Learn more about her efforts that were recently featured on Soledad O’Brien’s Matter of Fact.

Empowering the next generation (The Well | Sept. 27, 2021)

An abnormal heat wave in the Pacific Northwest so hot it melts powerlines. Record-breaking hurricane seasons that bring more severe storms each year. Excessive flooding that forces entire families in Eastern North Carolina to relocate. As climate disasters make headlines … Continued

Bringing classroom learning to life (UNC News | Aug. 6, 2021)

Teachers from eastern North Carolina stepped out of their classrooms and into nature this summer to learn more about geoscience so they can bring that knowledge back to their students. The experience was part of a new UNC Institute for … Continued