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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Chris Fischer, OCEARCH Founder and Expedition Leader
OCEARCH recently embarked on Expedition Northbound, its 45th ocean research expedition to learn more about Western North Atlantic white sharks as they begin to leave the Carolinas region and transition north for the summer. Data shows that prior to their spring migration north, many white sharks use the productive continental shelf waters around the Outer Banks, North Carolina region as an overwintering and spring staging area before heading north for the summer.
Prior to this expedition, OCEARCH’s dedicated and collaborative team successfully tagged 88 white sharks throughout the western North Atlantic, collecting data for over 24 science projects that enabled them to put together the pieces of the life history puzzle of the white shark in the region. Join Chris Fischer as he discusses Expedition Northbound and the Western North Atlantic white shark.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff.
Today @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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Luke Etchison, Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
The Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail is an innovative education project that will link together a set of publicly accessible river sites where people can safely snorkel to experience the underwater world of streams and rivers of western North Carolina. Luke Etchison will share information about the development of the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail and about some of the river critters you can enjoy while river snorkeling.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
May 17 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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Dr. Wendy Bohon, Geologist and Science Communicator
We all know that places like California have earthquakes, but do you know why? And did you know that the most widely felt earthquake in the history of the US occurred not in California, but in VIRGINIA? Join Dr. Wendy Bohon to learn about the science of earthquakes and specifically about East Coast earthquakes — why they happen, how often they occur, and why they’re felt over such long distances.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
May 10 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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Megan I. McCuller, Collections Manager, Non-molluscan Invertebrates, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Marine biologists have long believed that coastal marine invertebrates are incapable of surviving in the open ocean for a lengthy period of time due to their relatively low productivity. However, studies of Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris washed ashore on the US West coast and plastic collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch show that coastal species can not only survive a multi-year trek across the Pacific, but also now appear to have established reproducing populations on floating debris. These findings suggest that what had historically limited coastal species in the open ocean may have been a lack of permanent non-biodegradable substrate, which is now plentiful and increasing in the form of a wide variety of plastic products.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
May 3, 2023@ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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Palmer McIntyre, Director, NC Year of the Trail and Coordinator, NC Great Trails State Coalition
2023 is North Carolina Year of the Trail, designated by the NC General Assembly. This campaign, the largest celebration of outdoor recreation in NC history, is an opportunity to celebrate all kinds of trails – hiking, bike, walking, running, paddling, equine – across the state and promote the many health, economic and environmental benefits trails provide to communities and people. Palmer McIntyre will share the goals and strategies of the campaign, how communities are engaging with the campaign, and how the campaign fits into a larger strategy to secure sustained state funding for trails.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
April 26 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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Dr. Heather Hanna, Geologist, North Carolina Geological Survey, Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources, NC Department of Environmental Quality
When people think of forensic science, geology might not be the first discipline that comes to mind. However, the North Carolina Geological Survey has worked with law enforcement over the years to help shed light on homicide investigations. Join Dr. Heather Hanna, professional geologist, to find out how geological survey scientists have assisted with some of these cases.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
March 29 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Julie Thomson, Environmental Educator and Naturalist
Kim Livingston, Director of Conservation and Stewardship, Eno River Association
Tune in for a reading of the new book, “Saving the Eno,” with author Julie J. Thomson. “Saving the Eno” tells the story of the people who joined together to protect the Eno River for all of us, and how Eno River State Park was formed. Julie, an environmental educator and naturalist in Western North Carolina, wrote the book for her North Carolina Environmental Education Certification project. Kim Livingston with the Eno River Association will give us a brief update about new land that is being added to Eno River State Park.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
April 12 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Dr. Rachel Smith, Head, Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Astronomer Dr. Rachel Smith will use new software called OpenSpace to take you on a virtual tour from Earth to our neighboring planets, and far beyond the solar system. As we fly through space, Dr. Smith will discuss the search for life beyond Earth and planetary analogues to Earth’s extreme environments. She will discuss her recent observations of forming stars using NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility on Maunakea, Hawaii and explain how scientists visualize the known Universe using data from planetary probes, satellites and telescopes.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
March 22 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Elisa Raffa, Meteorologist and Climate Specialist at Queen City News/ FOX Charlotte, and STEM Experience Specialist at Discovery Place Science
Elisa Raffa is a broadcast meteorologist and climate specialist at Queen City News/ FOX Charlotte. With a passion for communicating climate change, she’s earned national and international recognition for using everything from beer, chocolate, snow shovels and vultures to help viewers relate to the climate crisis. When she’s not on-air, you’ll find her at Discovery Place Science in Uptown Charlotte. As a STEM specialist on staff, she writes lessons and tests hands-on activities in weather and climate science for kids of all ages. While climate communication and education are her biggest passions and drivers in her career, they don’t come without challenges. Come chat about how gender and politics play into navigating misinformation on-air, and how a small role on museum staff can make the biggest difference in our future.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
March 15 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Ashley Emanuele, Owner/Chief Medical Officer, Oak City Aquatics Mobile Veterinary Service
Veterinary medicine is an incredibly wide field — if it crawls, flies, hops or even swims, it probably has a specialized veterinarian dedicated to its care. Dr. Ashley Emanuele is North Carolina's first Certified Aquatic Veterinarian, and has been working with aquatic animals in some capacity for almost her whole life. Her practice, Oak City Aquatics, is the first aquatics-exclusive mobile practice in the state. Join Dr. Emanuele as she discusses her path to become an aquatic veterinarian, a day in the life (on the road and in the water!) and introduces a few of her favorite patients.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
March 8 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Liani Yirka, Education Program Coordinator, Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Approximately 20% of the United States population identifies as living with a disability. Because of the way environmental education centers and outdoor spaces are designed, people with disabilities often face barriers in environmental settings or when engaging in environmental programming or education. Liani Yirka is an environmental educator and an advocate for access and inclusion in the outdoors, and seeks to create a welcoming space for all communities and audiences. Using universal design principles for learning and thinking creatively on how to remove barriers will help the field of environmental education become more inclusive and accessible, and will welcome more people to explore and engage in the natural world.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by Chris Smith, Coordinator of Current Science Programs at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
March 1, 2023 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Adrienne Nirdé, Associate Director, NC African American Heritage Commission
For generations, people in North Carolina have used spaces and places to organize, strategize and protest to advance the civil rights of people of color, especially African Americans. It is here that young people — from Raleigh to Durham, from Elizabeth City to Greensboro — were activated to protest racial injustice. It is here where everyday people from Rocky Mount, to Robeson and Halifax Counties resisted oppression and intimidation. Leaders like Dovey Roundtree, Pauli Murray and Golden Frinks called our state home. The NC African American Heritage Commission is joining communities across the state to physically mark sites critical to the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina. Join us to learn more about this history and how your community can become involved.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Coordinator of Offsite and Virtual Outreach Laura Beth Speer and the NC Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
March 22, 2023 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Dr. Melyssa Minto, Bioinformatics Scientist, RTI International.
Dr. Melyssa Minto will discuss her journey into the field of computational biology and her graduate work on using genomic data to predict how the brain rewires itself, which is significant for research on addiction, development, learning and memory. She will also share her passions in creating equity in genomics research including her contributions to the Black Women In Computational Biology network.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Coordinator of Offsite and Virtual Outreach Laura Beth Speer and the NC Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
February 15, 2023 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Murry Burgess, PhD Candidate in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at NC State University and Co-founder of the Nonprofit, Field Inclusive
Murry Burgess is an Urban Ecologist, environmental educator and children’s author. She conducts a field experiment with barn swallow chicks, testing their physical development and metabolic health under artificial natural light at night and natural conditions. Growing up in the Deep South, Murry has witnessed and experienced racial and gender injustice. She works outdoors in rural NC, often alone. She uses her experiences to inform her pursuit of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in academia and the natural sciences.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Coordinator of Offsite and Virtual Outreach Laura Beth Speer and the NC Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
February 8, 2023 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Tanesha Anthony, Site Manager, Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum
Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, founder and long-time president of Palmer Memorial Institute was a pioneer, visionary, educator and activist. While she stood on the front lines as a master orator and pressed for equality among races, she used education as another way to fight this good fight. The February One Sit-ins took place just 10 miles away from Palmer. The movement had just recently ended with the
integration of the Woolworth’s lunch counter when Dr. Brown passed away in 1961. Although neither she nor Palmer students personally took part in the sit-ins, Dr. Brown left a remarkable legacy behind that her students and staff carried on with them. Join us as we learn more about Dr. Brown’s impact on civil rights and black education and explore how her work continues to live on.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Coordinator of Current Science Programs Chris Smith and the NC Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
Today @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Jerry Reynolds, Head of Outreach, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, and Michael Fisk, Eastern Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
The least brook lamprey is one of North Carolina’s least-known fishes, with an interesting life history. Learn about Jerry Reynolds’ discovery of the least brook lamprey in his Johnston County backyard stream and his work to document their annual spawning activity. Learn about the current efforts to survey for this state-threatened fish in North Carolina by NC Wildlife Resources Commission Biologists. See the results of these surveys and the implications for the continued survival of the least brook lamprey in North Carolina’s streams.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Coordinator of Current Science Programs Chris Smith and the NC Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
January 25 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Dr. Erin Field, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
Ever wonder what happens after a ship sinks? The North Carolina coastline has thousands of shipwrecks in the area known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” many of which hold a world of wonder and are home to a diverse ecological community for which microbes are the foundation. In this talk, Dr. Field will discuss the microbes that call these wrecks home, the role microbes play in both the deterioration and protection of shipwrecks, and how this information can be used for long-term preservation. She will also explore how these wrecks can become artificial reefs and an ecological anchor over time, influencing the surrounding environment. Join us as we learn about these invisible organisms that live on shipwrecks and the deep impact they have on the marine ecosystem and the fate of these vessels.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Coordinator of Current Science Programs Chris Smith and the NC Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
January 11 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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Falyn Owens, Extension Wildlife Biologist, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Feral swine are one of the most destructive invasive species in the US and pose a real threat to food security, clean water and native ecosystems. North Carolina is on the northern border of an expanding section of the country where these pigs freely roam. Efforts to hold back the tide are complicated by history, culture and practical constraints, but that hasn’t stopped several government agencies and private organizations from pooling their resources to tackle the problem. Learn about the threats posed by feral swine, the tools we have to confront them, and what you can do if you spot free-roaming pigs.
Live Virtual Presentation hosted by NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Coordinator of Current Science Programs Chris Smith and the NC Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs staff
January 18 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. EST
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