Jeff Yoder (Project 2) of the Superfund recently participated in a Science Camp for K-12 teachers in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ (EBCI) community. The goal of the workshop was to collaborate with the teachers and EBCI education professionals on developing strategies to integrate Cherokee language and culture into the teachers’ science curriculum. On each day of the camp a different North Carolina scientist delivered a workshop on their area of expertise.
On June 5, 2024, Dr. Yoder spoke about: (1) genetic variation and how it can impact human health and (2) how exposure to environmental toxins can alter immune function. He then engaged teachers with two hands-on activities that they could adapt for their classrooms – one activity was on hereditary traits and the other was on using water quality testing kits in the classroom. This Science Camp was organized by Drs. Kristin Davin and Alex Dornburg (UNC-Charlotte) and funded by an Ignite Grant.