CPES News - UNC Institute for the Environment

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

YES-Resilience youth science enrichment program wraps up with in-person summer institutes

The UNC Institute for the Environment’s Center for Public Engagement with Science (CPES) concluded its 10-month-long science enrichment program, Youth Engaging in the Science of Resilience in Urban and Rural NC (YES-Resilience) Teen Climate Ambassadors Program in June with two, … Continued

GENERATE: The Game of Energy Choices – Promoting energy literacy while cultivating systems thinking (NCSTA | Jul/Aug 2021)

The electric grid is the system of power generators, power lines, and other equipment that transports electricity from where it is generated to where it is used. As pointed out by author and cultural anthropologist Gretchen Bakke, “[the grid] is the world’s … Continued

IE energy educators contribute to first-of-its-kind renewable energy education summit

The UNC Institute for the Environment’s role in training the next generation of clean energy professionals is garnering national attention once more. Lindsay Dubbs, co-director of the Outer Banks Field Site, who recently was recognized for her energy education work … Continued

MEDIA INVITED: Summer program to engage youth in learning about climate resilience, Whiteville, NC

The Center for Public Engagement with Science (CPES) at the UNC Institute for the Environment, in partnership with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) – Whiteville will host a three-day summer institute June 8-10 for youth enrolled in … Continued

Youth learn about resilience to wildfires, prescribed burns and air quality impacts

On Mar. 20, the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Center for Public Engagement with Science in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) conducted a half-day virtual academy on the topic of climate change and forests for … Continued

Celebrate Earth Month at Carolina!

From energy shortages to water scarcity, Carolina is tackling environmental problems with expertise from every discipline. Building on the collaborative spirit of UNC-Chapel Hill, we offer multidisciplinary programs in research, education and service while integrating environmental studies and outreach opportunities … Continued

GiveUNC | Mar. 30: A day like no other

GiveUNC | March 30 | Save the date! You can make March 30 a great day by joining your fellow Tar Heels for #GiveUNC – a 24-hour day of giving – and contributing to the Institute for the Environment. Your … Continued

National Leaders in Clean Energy Education Convene Virtually to Kick Off Efforts to Foster an Equitable Clean Energy Economy (eSchool News | Feb. 5, 2021)

Leaders in clean energy education– the KidWind Project, REpowering Schools, and CE – Clean Energy. Bright Futures – are hosting the first virtual national Renewable Energy Education Summit today, February 4, 2021, from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm ET. During … Continued

Intern Leticia Tuset combines English and environmental public health to change lives through community resilience

Leticia Tuset has always harbored a love for English. In fourth grade she just knew she wanted to be a writer. Now a Morehead-Cain Scholar and junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, Tuset has designed a vigorous academic path pursuing her interests … Continued

IE, partners receive more than $500,000 to fund environmental health sciences internships

Starting in February 2021, a new collaborative initiative between the UNC Institute for the Environment, the Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine in the UNC School of Medicine, and the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina Central … Continued

IE makes hands-on geoscience learning possible for Northeastern NC’s students and teachers

The UNC Institute for the Environment recently received $319,000 to connect students and teachers in Northeastern North Carolina with field-based geoscience learning opportunities. Geoscience Teaching Outdoors in NC, also known as GET OUT in NC, will take advantage of the … Continued

As IDEA program for underrepresented students concludes, new program funded and in development

The UNC Institute for the Environment hosted its final cohort of six IDEA (Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia) students this summer, matching a total of 78 students with geoscience internships between 2012 and 2020. IDEA, which has been funded by … Continued