{"id":14382,"date":"2022-06-01T10:49:53","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T14:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=14382"},"modified":"2023-10-05T14:07:19","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T18:07:19","slug":"new-community-collaborative-projects-support-youth-education-tribal-knowledge-air-and-water-quality-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/new-community-collaborative-projects-support-youth-education-tribal-knowledge-air-and-water-quality-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"New Community Collaborative Projects Support Youth Education, Tribal Knowledge, Air and Water Quality, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"
For\u00a0immediate release<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact: Four new projects in North Carolina are launching this year as part of the\u00a0Community Collaborative Research Grant Program<\/a>\u00a0(CCRG). Projects will support youth education, tribal knowledge, air and water quality, and an exploration of plastic contaminants in headwaters.<\/p>\n North Carolina Sea Grant<\/a> and N.C. Water Resources Research Institute<\/a> (WRRI) administer the CCRG Program in partnership with the \u00a0William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science<\/a>\u00a0(KIETS).<\/p>\n \u201cThe CCRG program continues statewide engagement with this latest round of projects,\u201d says John Fear, deputy director of North Carolina Sea Grant and WRRI. \u201cThe ongoing focus on local needs and use of local knowledge sets up these projects for success.\u201d<\/p>\n KIETS associate director Raj Narayan says the CCRG Program provides researchers and community leaders an opportunity to work together to addressing compelling topics and challenges affecting North Carolina.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new projects for 2022 continue to focus on issues of importance across our state from the mountains to the coast,\u201d Narayan says.<\/p>\n The new CCRG projects include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Understanding Plastic Contaminants in Western N.C. Headwaters<\/em> Youth Education, Career Awareness, and Community Building in Mecklenburg County<\/em> Tribal Knowledge from Land and Water in the Waccamaw Siouan Communities<\/em> Harmful Algal Blooms and Air and Water Quality in Northeastern N.C.<\/em> Narayan says that the four new initiatives involve meaningful engagement of the perspectives and interests of young people and under-represented groups.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science at NC State is grateful to be a partner with North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute in support of these wonderful projects and thoughtful leaders,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
\nJohn Fear,\u00a0<\/em>jmfear@ncsu.edu<\/em><\/a>
\nKatie Mosher,\u00a0<\/em>kmosher@ncsu.edu<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
\nJerry Miller of Western Carolina University and Eric Romaniszyn of Haywood Waterways Association will study transport rates of plastic particles in small headwater basins of the Southern Appalachians. The project will provide hands-on learning experiences for high school students and community members to demonstrate the significance of plastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems and the need for sound management around recycling and disposal.<\/p>\n
\nOlya Keen of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Ebone Lockett of Harvesting Humanity LLC will recruit high school students to co-design and participate in hands-on research that includes elements of laboratory research and field sampling. The students will discover, explore, and work to mitigate issues related to water cycling throughout homes, schools, businesses, and neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\nAshley Patrick Lomboy, Waccamaw Siouan Tribe Member and founder of Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio, and Eric Britt Moore of the University of North Carolina Wilmington will combine academic and Traditional Ecological Knowledge practices to create an integrated view of soil and water health in the Waccamaw Siouan communities. Armed with data from the project, the Tribe will be able to assess soil and water contamination and identify areas that require remediation.<\/p>\n
\nHans Paerl of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\u2019s Institute of Marine Sciences and Colleen Karl of the Chowan Edenton Environmental Group will work with communities in northeastern North Carolina to investigate associations between harmful algal blooms and air and water quality. Findings from this collaboration will benefit local high-school science classrooms, Albemarle Regional Health Services system, state agencies, academic institutions, and the general public.<\/p>\n