Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: "NC Teachers and Toxicologists Come Together at Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC"

Home > Press > NC Teachers and Toxicologists Come Together at Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC

Abstract:
On Tuesday, March 27, at the Society of Toxicology's 46th Annual Meeting (Charlotte
Convention Center, March 25-29), more than 60 middle and high school science teachers
from 20- plus area schools will participate in teacher training workshops
conducted by staff from the University of North Carolina Community Outreach
and Education Program (COEP) at the Center for Environmental Health and
Susceptibility (CEHS), the DESTINY Traveling Science Learning Program of
UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, and the Office of Education in
the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Scientists in town for the Society's Annual Meeting will also be
volunteering to assist in hands- on activities. The full day of concurrent
workshops is focused on helping teachers increase student understanding of
environmental health risk, environmental toxicants, and the interplay
between scientific data and human judgment in policy decisions. According
to Kathleen Gray, director of the COEP and local chair for the event, the
collaboration of an international organization of researchers and
regulators and local scientists creates a rich opportunity for North
Carolina educators. "Conducting these teacher professional development
activities in partnership with the Society of Toxicology enables us to
introduce teachers to professional scientists who can answer questions
about how science happens in the real world," she says.

NC Teachers and Toxicologists Come Together at Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC

RESTON, VA | Posted on March 15th, 2007

For high school teachers, the workshop is especially timely. "Earth and
environmental science requirements are relatively new in North Carolina and
many teachers are still figuring out how to cover core concepts in ways
that are engaging and interesting," Gray says. "These workshops offer
teachers the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge science happening at
UNC and across the country while also getting activities and materials that
they can use in the classroom."

Since the science of toxicology is at the heart of public safety, the
Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting attracts as many as 6,000
respected professionals from a wide range of fields, including human
medicine, biotechnology, carcinogenesis, epidemiology, public health, food
safety, genetic toxicology, immunotoxicology, infusion toxicology,
inhalation toxicology, in vitro studies, nanoparticle science,
neutrotoxicology, occupational health, pathology, pharmacokinetics,
pharmacology, regulatory, risk assessment, reproductive and developmental
toxicology, and veterinary medicine. As part of the activities of the
Society's K-12 Education Committee, volunteer scientists from among these
specialties will be working with teachers from Alamance/Burlington,
Cabarrus, Caldwell, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Cleveland County, Gaston,
Granville, Guilford, Iredell-Statesville, Orange, Randolph, Transylvania,
Wake, and Wayne County Schools.

During the March 27 workshop, participants will spend time on the
DESTINY bus, a fully-equipped science laboratory. High school teachers will
attend The State We're In: Science, Citizenship, and the Effects of
Environmental Toxins in North Carolina, new hands-on curriculum from
UNC-Chapel Hill's DESTINY Traveling Science Learning Program. The workshop
was developed with support from the Science Education Partnership Award
Program and teaches students about environmental toxins and how scientific
data can be used to create environmental legislation. Throughout the day,
SOT Annual Meeting attendees will be able to board one of DESTINY's
traveling laboratories parked on the exhibit floor -- bringing the
innovative teaching tool into the midst of 250 ToxExpo 2007 exhibitors from
the United States and around the world.

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About Society of Toxicology
The Society of Toxicology, founded in 1961, is a professional
organization of 5,800 scientists working in academic institutions,
government, and industry worldwide. SOT is dedicated to supporting the use
of sound science to advance to advance the health of humans, animals, and
the environment. To see the full program or arrange to attend a session,
reporters are invited to visit "Just for the Media" at the Annual Meeting
page of http://www.toxicology.org .

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