Skip to main content
 

Join us at Carolina Engagement Week!

February 2, 2025 Students walk through a field with a dark sky in the background.

Faculty and staff from the UNC Institute for the Environment are leading several events celebrating UNC’s annual Carolina Engagement Week Feb. 24-28. Through skill-building workshops, research presentations, panel discussions and more, Engagement Week brings together Carolina faculty, staff and students with community partners to highlight partnerships between UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina communities. Engagement Week uses the Carnegie Elective Classifications definition of community engagement as “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.”

Mark your calendar and plan to join a session featuring presenters from the UNC Institute for the Environment!

Science Communication 101: Sharing environmental research to inform solutions

February 24 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Increasingly, scientists are required to share their research results with public audiences, and results may inform practice and decision making. In this interactive workshop, participants will enhance their skills through hands-on activities grounded in the principles of science communication. We will highlight real-world examples from several federally-funded research centers, including research on private well water contamination in NC communities (potentially to include post-Hurricane Helene response) and will demonstrate how to frame a key message for a specific audience. Participants will have practice communicating about their own research using tips and techniques introduced in the workshop and will receive feedback from peers and session organizers. This session is presented by the Center for Public Engagement with Science in the UNC Institute for the Environment.

Presenters: 

  • Sarah Yelton, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Kathleen Gray, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Evan Goodman, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment

Register >>>

Communicating for community: Stories for a better planet

February 24 @ 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

From Highlands, North Carolina to the highlands of the Galápagos, Carolina’s communicators have stories to tell. During this panel, venture outside the confines of Chapel Hill to learn about the students and faculty conducting community-based research projects for a better future. We’ll discuss light pollution in the Outer Banks, hemlock health in the Appalachian Mountains, water security in the Galápagos and much, much more. These discussions are especially exciting as the UNC Institute for the Environment celebrates the 25th anniversary of its field site program in 2026.

This panel will be recorded for a special episode of the Sustainable Carolina Podcast. At the end of the panel, we’ll invite questions about the research discussed and podcasting in general.

Presenters: 

Register >>>

From the lab to the classroom: Collaboration incorporates emerging science into K-12 lessons

February 24 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Using research on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or “forever chemicals”) as a foundation, a science education team brought together high school science teachers and researchers to co-create lessons for NC students that incorporate cutting-edge, locally relevant data. This session kicks off with a brief introduction, highlighting the mutual benefits of collaboration among teachers and scientists. We will then move into a panel discussion featuring a teacher, a PFAS researcher and a university educator on what they’ve learned from working together and the value of developing educational materials that feature a real-world issue facing NC communities. This session is presented by the Center for Public Engagement with Science in the UNC Institute for the Environment.

Presenters: 

  • Lynn Chesnut, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Jolan Motyka, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Dana Haine, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Kathleen Gray, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Kyle McQuillan, Innovate Carolina

Register >>>

How healthy are our homes? Reducing environmental health hazards in N.C. communities

February 26 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

“Home is where the heart is.” Our homes should be our refuge, but are they? Environmental health hazards (like lead, mold, and other chemicals and airborne irritants) are often present in our homes, although we may not be able to see or smell them. This interactive workshop will introduce common environmental health hazards in homes and steps to remove or reduce them. A community collaborator will describe their efforts to share this information during home visits in NC communities and will describe their work in the western NC region impacted by Hurricane Helene. This session is presented by the Center for Public Engagement with Science in the UNC Institute for the Environment and UNC Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility.

Presenters:

  • Neasha Graves, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Mitierra Johnson, Center for Public Engagement with Science, UNC Institute for the Environment
  • Angela Maskill, Reinvestment Partners (Community Partner)

Register >>>

A full list of events can be found on the Carolina Engagement Week calendar.