Videos and Livestreams - Lunchtime Lecture Series
The NCDEQ Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs hosts a guest lecture series called the "Lunchtime Discovery," hosted and streamed with our partners at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Professionals from a wide range of environmental fields give presentations about their work and participate in a live moderated question and answer chat with viewers. Topics range from spider diversity in North Carolina to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to how to incorporate music in environmental education programming.
The are several recorded presentations on a wide variety of environmental topics that can be used in the classroom to supplement existing lessons on ecosystems, natural resources, and North Carolina history.
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Watch the March 2024 Series Live on YouTube! All Talks Stream at Noon Eastern:
March 6 - A Conversation With Film Director Erin Derham About Her Film, “Stuffed”
March 13 - Women in Science: State Careers in STEM
March 20 - Writing Wild: Women Poets, Ramblers, and Mavericks Who Shape How We See the Natural World
March 27 - Germinating a Thriving Workforce
Kamal Bell: Owner, Sankofa Farms
Kamal Bell founded Sankofa Farms in Efland, North Carolina to help people affected by “food deserts” and to create a sustainable food source for minorities in both rural and urban areas located in Durham and Orange Counties. The farm is also home to the Sankofa Farms Agricultural Academy, a year-round intensive STEM-based program that seeks to educate students on the existing problems within agriculture. Join Kamal as he discusses his journey into farming and his farm’s transition to climate-smart agriculture.
February 7 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
WATCH THIS TALK
Dr. David Coyle, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University
Spiders! Beetles! Sawflies! These critters are all around us, yet a few species — the invasive ones — are cause for great concern due to their ecological and economic impacts. We’ll talk about how we get invasive pests, some of the most notorious ones in the Southeast, and what we can do about them.
The Lunchtime Discovery Series is a partnership between the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, hosted by Chris Smith, NCMNS Coordinator of Current Science Programs.
January 31 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
WATCH THIS TALK
Clarisa Arguello, Outreach Librarian, SLNC
Victoria Haas, Digital Projects Librarian, SLNC
Taylor Thompson, Reference Services Assistant, SLNC
Join us on a lunchtime escapade into the intriguing realms of the State Library of North Carolina’s Government and Heritage Library, where history meets science, with a touch of mystery. Explore databases that hold the keys to North Carolina’s unique natural wonders, and State Documents that tell the history of the Old North State from the coast to the mountains and in between. The library’s collection includes a treasure trove of surprises, ranging from charming gardening brochures to Army survival guides. In this webinar, learn how the resources at the SLNC Government and Heritage Library can help you make the most of the natural world around you.
The Lunchtime Discovery Series is a partnership between the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, hosted by Chris Smith, NCMNS Coordinator of Current Science Programs.
January 24 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
WATCH THIS TALK
Edde Burgess, Photographer
I am a lifelong native of Raleigh, the husband of a wonderful wife, and dad to two amazing kids. After my family, my passion is photography. I love exploring my creative side and trying to capture moments that speak to me. I’ve always veered toward the arts. I spent years as a painter and sculptor, and that allows me to come at my photography from the artistic side. I still have my first camera: the Pentax K1000—a classic. The equipment might have changed over the years, but my passion has only grown.
Photography has led me to virtually every state in America and many foreign countries. If I have a credo, it’s the Allman Brothers’ song, “Ramblin’ Man.” I’m always on the go, searching for the next great shot. When I travel to shoot Ironman triathlons around the U.S., I look for interesting locations nearby where I can capture wildlife on film.
The Lunchtime Discovery Series is a partnership between the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, hosted by Chris Smith, NCMNS Coordinator of Current Science Programs.
January 17, 2024 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
WATCH THIS TALK
Dr. Julie Horvath, Head, Genomics and Microbiology Research Lab, NCMNS; Research Associate Professor, NC Central University
Dr. Marianne Barrier, Lab Manager, Genomics and Microbiology Research Lab, NCMNS
Why is monkey blood relevant to you? Monkey Health Explorer is a citizen science project on Zooniverse.org that engages the public in identifying white blood cells in rhesus macaque monkeys that live on Cayo Santiago, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. Drs. Horvath and Barrier will teach you what different parts of a blood sample look like so that you can participate in this project. And, similarly to what happens when you have blood drawn at the doctor’s office, you will identify cells in a sample of blood. Counting the different types of blood cells is critical to helping us understand which monkeys are healthy or sick in the population we’re studying.
We compare the health data to behavioral data to help understand how the health of monkeys affects how they behave. This will provide us information useful to understanding similar processes in humans. In addition to discussing initial findings about the health of our monkeys, we’ll discuss what has worked well in engaging the public in this Zooniverse project and some of the trends in data collection.
January 10, 2024 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
WATCH LIVE